Harvesting of wheat is complete. Official estimates put the wheat output at a record 19 million tonnes, some 10 percent above both last year and the average for the previous five years. The increase reflects increased plantings, adequate fertilizer supplies and the increase in the support price for farmers by over 30 percent. Planting of paddy and coarse grain crops is well underway benefiting from early season showers in May. Official reports indicated that about 1.5 million tonnes of rice will be exported from the 1997/98 record milled rice output of 4.6 million tonnes.
Wheat imports in 1998/99 (May/April) are officially reported to be about 1 million tonnes, as against an estimated 4.3 million tonnes imported last year.