NEW DELHI, INDIA — India is projected to produce a record wheat crop in 2019-20, the country’s farm ministry said in its second crop forecast of the year, released on Feb. 19.
India is expected to produce a record 106.2 million tonnes of wheat, according to farm ministry projections, as favorable weather conditions helped to improve crop yields, with output far exceeding demand and further boosting stocks.
Wheat output in India, the world’s second-biggest producer, is expected to go up by 2.5% in the crop year that ends in June, the farm ministry said.
Rice output in the world’s biggest exporter and No. 2 producer is estimated to rise by 0.9% to 117.4 million tonnes.
Total grains output is expected to reach a record 291.9 million tonnes in 2019-20, according to the farm ministry, up from 285.2 million tonnes produced in the previous year.
The farm ministry also is projecting output of rapeseed, the country’s main winter oilseed, to reach 9.1 million tonnes, higher than a recent target of 8.2 million tonnes but lower than the previous year’s production of 9.2 million tonnes.