India Is Likely To Produce Million Tones - Oct 6, 2008

India is likely to produce 2.8 million tones(MT) extra grain in 2008-09 provided farmers increase the area by a million hectare. India has harvested a record 78.4 million tones (MT) wheat last year. The average wheat productivity at national level is about 2.8 tonnes per hectare as per the fourth advance estimates for 2007-08.Last week, the Agriculture Secretary had said the government targets to increase the wheat acreage by one million hectares in 2008-09. The government has set a wheat production target at 78.5 MT, up by 100,000 tonnes from the previous year.