Context:
India’s wheat production is estimated to reach a record high of 115.3 million metric tonnes (MMT) in 2024-25.
Wheat:
- Crop Type – Rabi crop, sown between October-December and harvested during April-June.
- Nutritional Value – Rich in Calcium, Thiamine, Riboflavin, and Iron.
- Top Producers – China, India, Russia
- Favourable Conditions for Cultivation –
- Temperature: 10-15°C during sowing; 21-26°C during ripening and harvesting.
- Rainfall: Optimal – 50-100 cm; excess can damage the crop.
- Sunlight: Requires bright sunshine during ripening for optimal growth.
- Impact of Frost and Hailstorms: Sensitive to frost at flowering; damage from hailstorms.
- Soil Type: Well-drained loamy and clayey soil.
- Ideal pH: Slightly alkaline to neutral.
Wheat Production in India:
- 2nd largest crop after paddy in terms of area coverage.
- 2nd largest wheat producer in the world after China.
- Top Producing States – Uttar Pradesh (Largest), Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana
- Major Export Destinations – Nepal, Iraq, South Korea, UAE, Mongolia.
- India accounts for less than 1% of the global wheat trade.
- Regional variety – Sharbati wheat grown in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh
Source: IE
Previous Year Question
Which one of the following groups of plants was domesticated in the ‘New World’ and introduced into the ‘Old World’?
[UPSC Civil Services Exam – 2019 Prelims]
(a) Tobacco, cocoa and rubber
(b) Tobacco, cotton and rubber
(c) Cotton, coffee and sugarcane
(d) Rubber, coffee and wheat
Answer: (a)
