Wheat sowing rates in India ahead of last year

Indian farmers have planted 4.5 million hectares of wheat since the start of the current planting campaign, up 9.7% from a year ago, according to the Indian Ministry of Agriculture. This is reported by the Grain On-Line agency with reference to the Reuters agency. In India, wheat is mainly produced in the northern states of Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh in the center of the country. Late rains in October and November raised soil moisture levels and helped farmers increase their area under wheat, the main winter crop. In India, only one crop of wheat is grown per year. Sowing takes place in October-November, and harvesting begins in March. In May 2022, India, the world's second largest wheat producer, was forced to ban the export of the crop after yields were well below forecasts due to extreme heat. Despite the wheat export ban, wheat prices soared to record levels, prompting the government to take other price-cutting measures, such as releasing government ...