Bangalore: A two-day international wheat seminar that kicks off here on Friday will focus and analyse eventualities that will emerge in the foodgrains production, demand, nutrition and food security in 2020.
The seminar, Vision 2020, will see good participation of delegates from Canada, France, the US, Germany and West Asia, which would create opportunities for domestic participants to interact with the former, according to Vinod Kapoor, Chairman of the organising committee of the seminar.
Stocks at 28-year low?
Kapoor said the seminar will hold brain-storming sessions on prospects of wheat with the global prices rising 70 per cent in the last 12 months.
Wheat stocks at the end of the crop year (July 2007-June 2008) was expected to be at a 28-year low of 110.9 million tonnes (mt), he said quoting the US Department of Agriculture report.
• Quarterly results of corporates: Check out
A projected record production of 75 mt this year in the country would take care of the country’s annual demand of 62 mt and buffer stocks in April was expected to be 50 lakh tonnes, he said. This would also avoid the need for imports this year.
“By 2020, India requires an annual production of 92 mt and as on date, we are short by 17 mt. We need to spruce up production to meet the anticipated demand,” he said.
Output prospects
To a question on prospects of raising production, Kapoor said the Indo-Gangetic plain held good prospects where 20 million hectares were under wheat. “Currently, we are getting 2.5 tonnes of wheat a hectare and with better seeds and crop protection measures we can raise it to four tonnes,” he said.
The Centre’s National Food Security Programme, which is currently being implemented in many States, also targeted to top 80 mt of wheat by 2001, he added. On the trade side, Kapoor said traders were looking forward to a fair opportunity to sell or buy across the country.
Bangalore has been picked as the venue to host the seminar as it has emerged as an important centre for milling and backing. “ITC and Britannia, which are major consumers, are also based here for their wheat operations,” he said.
Global scenario
M.K. Dattaraj, President, Roller Flour Mills Federation of India, said the seminar would focus on international wheat situation and the issue of increasing productivity.
“We will discuss long-term policy to meet the situation that could arise in 2020, besides the issue of using foodgrains for bio-fuel,” he said.
Ravi Krishna, President, Society of Indian Bakers, said the Government authorities should appreciate the fact that wheat-based food products such as bread and biscuits were the cheapest and exercise control.
The seminar, Vision 2020, will see good participation of delegates from Canada, France, the US, Germany and West Asia, which would create opportunities for domestic participants to interact with the former, according to Vinod Kapoor, Chairman of the organising committee of the seminar.
Stocks at 28-year low?
Kapoor said the seminar will hold brain-storming sessions on prospects of wheat with the global prices rising 70 per cent in the last 12 months.
Wheat stocks at the end of the crop year (July 2007-June 2008) was expected to be at a 28-year low of 110.9 million tonnes (mt), he said quoting the US Department of Agriculture report.
• Quarterly results of corporates: Check out
A projected record production of 75 mt this year in the country would take care of the country’s annual demand of 62 mt and buffer stocks in April was expected to be 50 lakh tonnes, he said. This would also avoid the need for imports this year.
“By 2020, India requires an annual production of 92 mt and as on date, we are short by 17 mt. We need to spruce up production to meet the anticipated demand,” he said.
Output prospects
To a question on prospects of raising production, Kapoor said the Indo-Gangetic plain held good prospects where 20 million hectares were under wheat. “Currently, we are getting 2.5 tonnes of wheat a hectare and with better seeds and crop protection measures we can raise it to four tonnes,” he said.
The Centre’s National Food Security Programme, which is currently being implemented in many States, also targeted to top 80 mt of wheat by 2001, he added. On the trade side, Kapoor said traders were looking forward to a fair opportunity to sell or buy across the country.
Bangalore has been picked as the venue to host the seminar as it has emerged as an important centre for milling and backing. “ITC and Britannia, which are major consumers, are also based here for their wheat operations,” he said.
Global scenario
M.K. Dattaraj, President, Roller Flour Mills Federation of India, said the seminar would focus on international wheat situation and the issue of increasing productivity.
“We will discuss long-term policy to meet the situation that could arise in 2020, besides the issue of using foodgrains for bio-fuel,” he said.
Ravi Krishna, President, Society of Indian Bakers, said the Government authorities should appreciate the fact that wheat-based food products such as bread and biscuits were the cheapest and exercise control.
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