Centre sets up panel to protect wheat as farms gear up for heat wave

The Centre has decided to form a panel to deal with the risks posed to India's winter crop of wheat from heat waves, according to a report by LiveMint.

Officials from several departments and ministries have started working with the panel. They are now coordinating with states to ensure sufficient water at sources such as reservoirs and dams to supply canals for protective irrigation. Officials are also checking supply lines for cheap diesel and ensuring a steady power supply, which farmers need to run pumps.

According to the report, experts from the animal husbandry department are guiding farmers on how to protect themselves and their cattle from heat stroke and asking them to keep bovines supported with wet hay shades and "desert coolers", motorised fans that disperse the mist, while increasing the intake of water.

A similar disastrous hot spell was witnessed in March last year when temperatures soared to record highs. This affected wheat yields as output shrank 2.5 per cent in the country, stoking a crisis-like situation. Subsequently, India banned wheat exports in May 2022.

The government now officially forecasts wheat harvests of 112 million tonnes this year, the highest ever.

According to the report, scores of state-employed farm scientists have been deployed in the fields across five states. They have been tasked with informing farmers about crop protection measures to be undertaken in case of a heatwave.

As reported by Business Standard earlier, maximum temperatures will likely remain 5 to 7 degrees Celsius above normal over many parts of northwest India for the next three days.

"High temperature during flowering and maturing period leads to a loss in yield. There could be a similar impact on other standing crops and horticulture," the Indian Meteorological Department said.

In its advisory, the met has urged farmers to regularly check if crops appear under stress, in which case light irrigation can be provided.

This and fears of an El Nino effect later this year have prompted fears of an early and intense summer.

The states that could see a possible heatwave are in the northwest region mostly, which is India's main food bowl plain and comprises Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh. Rajasthan, which is commonly viewed as a desert state, faces the most risk of a heatwave. It is also a major grower of a variety of cereal and oilseeds.

Even though Madhya Pradesh is another large grower state, it faces the least threat because its wheat crop matures earlier than elsewhere.