With the subsiding impact of covid-19 and the mass rollout of vaccines, people had high hopes for the year 2022. However, the year took no time to spoil the high expectations that people had from the year.
The Russian invasion of Ukraine started early on in the year and the war between the two biggest grain producers and exporters of the world led to disruptions in the supply chain and raised food security concerns for several nations around the world. What made things worse was adverse weather conditions which in some form or the other hampered domestic production and added to the pains of the people.
While these unanticipated events certainly did make lives difficult for people around the globe, they also did make people realize the significance of self-sufficiency. Walking on the realization, many countries did start making efforts to boost production so as to reduce their dependence on imports so that they remain unaffected in case such an event unfolds once again.
Among others, one such country is India. Located in Asia, India is the second largest Wheat Producer in the World. However, despite this, the country exports a meager 1% of the total produce to the world as most of the produce is consumed domestically. The same applies to edible oil as well. India remains the top importer of edible oil in the world and it meets its needs by procuring edible oil from the global market.
However, after realizing the challenges involved in the procurement process, India is slowly and steadily making efforts to cut its reliance on imports for its domestic needs and this can be clearly seen from the fact that India’s wheat acreage has grown by 3% while its oilseeds acreage has grown by 8% this Rabi season.
A Look At The Figures
Wheat is the major crop that Indian farmers grow in the Rabi season and as per the data released recently, India’s wheat acreage has witnessed a rise of 3% in the current Rabi season, mainly on account of higher sowing area in the states of Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh.
Last year, the area under wheat acreage during the Rabi season stood at 278.25 lakh hectares and this number has gone up by 8.35 lakh hectares to register a 3% rise. While higher wheat acreage has been witnessed mainly from the states of Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, West Bengal, Jharkhand, and Karnataka, states like Maharashtra and Haryana have marked a downfall in wheat acreage as well.
Similarly, the area under oilseed plantations has gone up from 90.51 lakh hectares to 97.94 lakh hectares, thereby registering an 8% rise. Among other oilseeds, this has been primarily due to an increase in acreage of mustard as the crop which was last Rabi season planted on 83.18 lakh hectares has been this Rabi season planted on 89.99 lakh hectares of land.
The Bottom Line
After realizing the complexities involved in the procurement of wheat and oilseeds in the aftermath of the Russia-Ukraine war, India has been taking baby steps to become self-sufficient in this regard. With increased wheat and oilseed acreage, India is eyeing to increase its domestic output thereby reducing its dependence on other countries for meeting its domestic needs.
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