The government today (26 April) refuted certain media reports regarding the wheat production scenario for 2025-26, stressing that while localised weather-related impacts have been observed, the overall wheat production scenario remains stable and resilient.
The Agriculture Ministry characterised the current wheat season as mixed but resilient, shaped by both climatic adversities and strong adaptive measures undertaken by farmers.
The wheat crop, which was sown on an estimated area of 33.4 million hectares, witnessed no incidence of insect pests and diseases during the season.
The ministry confirmed there has been no report of yield losses due to any disease or insect-pest in the wheat crop, whilst infestation of weeds was low during the crop growth stages.
Early and timely sowing of wheat across the country led to an increase in area over last year.
The additional 0.6 million hectares area planted during 2025-26 is expected to partially offset localised losses. Additionally, the enhanced varietal replacement rate has accelerated the adoption of high-yielding, climate-resilient, and disease-resistant varieties, which are better equipped to withstand heat and biotic stresses.
The significant increase in early and timely sowing enables the crop to escape terminal heat during grain filling, the government statement added.
For example, wheat arrival in Haryana mandis has surpassed the 75 lakh metric tonnes government procurement target, with 56.13 lakh metric tonnes already purchased.
The government anticipates that the adverse effects of weather anomalies will be largely compensated by increased area, early sowing, and improved varietal adoption, thereby supporting stable national wheat production as compared to the crop season of 2024-25.
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