The sown area of wheat in the rabi season will not decrease

As reported by M.L. Jat, Secretary of the Department of Agricultural Research and Education and Director General of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), no significant reduction in wheat sowing areas is expected. According to him, all major wheat-growing regions are fully supplied with irrigation via canals or tubewells, making farmers in these areas less vulnerable to precipitation fluctuations. A possible intensification of the El Niño weather phenomenon is also unlikely to strongly affect sowing areas.

The Ministry of Agriculture has set the wheat production target for the 2026–27 agricultural year at 121 million tonnes, compared to last year's record of 120.7 million tonnes. The sowing area last year was 33.6 million ha. Wheat belongs to winter crops (rabi season), which are usually sown in October–November and harvested in March–April. Stable supplies of this crop will help curb domestic prices and improve export prospects.

Wheat stocks in the central pool as of September 16 stood at 47.44 million tonnes, which is significantly higher than the buffer norm of 27.58 million tonnes. Such a surplus gives the government flexibility in ensuring food security, supplying welfare programs, and managing market demand.

From June to September, precipitation during the South Asian monsoon was 13% below normal (with a deficit of 6% and 3% in the northwestern and central regions, respectively). The main wheat-growing regions include Punjab, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and Gujarat. In October, favorable precipitation fell in the northwestern regions, supporting soil moisture before sowing. The rain deficit in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and Rajasthan is planned to be compensated by canals and tubewells.

According to Devendra Kumar Yadava, ICAR Deputy Director General for Crop Science, wheat requires less irrigation than paddy, which limits the impact of uneven rains on the sowing campaign. Ratan Tiwari, former Director of the ICAR Indian Institute of Wheat and Barley Research, confirmed that the soil moisture level in key northwestern states (Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, and Haryana) remains favorable. In addition, the central government raised the minimum support price for wheat to 2,610 rupees per quintal for the 2027–28 marketing season, compared to 2,585 rupees per quintal a year earlier.