Farmers Protect Wheat Crop Amid Risk of Another Heat Wave

As the weather gets hotter, farmers have become vigilant to protect their crops. The threat of a sweltering heat wave like the one in 2022 seems imminent in India and farmers are wary about it. The heat wave, along with the discomfort and general unease that it created, also closed off India’s wheat exports last year.

The biggest wheat-growing regions of the country are facing unusually warm temperatures in February, which has created panic among wheat growers. Wheat is sensitive to heat and the plants are reaching maturity and near-flowering, making heat a very triggering factor. The weather office has released a grim warning- output losses are on the horizon with increasing temperatures.

India is the biggest wheat-producing nation after China and rightfully so. We are one of the largest consumers of wheat as well, our local diets have an unmissable ‘roti’ in it. Thus, wheat is also crucial for our national food security. The weather heading for a steady incline will mean that domestic food prices will also rise, threatening our food accessibility. The global wheat market will also suffer- with US experiencing dry weather and the ongoing war in Ukraine.

The head of the Indian Institute of Wheat and Barley Research, Gyanendra Singh, has stated, “India’s crop is in good condition right now, but farmers need to be vigilant about watering the crops.  They also need to monitor the pests and diseases that tend to thrive when the weather heats up.”

India is trying not to bring back the situation that happened in 2022. The heat wave was brutal and it torched the Indian wheat fields, forcing the government to initiate a hasty ban on exports at a time when the world was facing a wheat shortage with Russia and Ukraine at war. Restrictions will likely be imposed this year as well, in order to ensure that staple food prices do not fluctuate ahead of elections in 2024.

While the farm ministry is of the opinion that wheat production will be reaching a record high in India this year, the domestic prices show no signs of going down. The cost of retail wheat is about 19% higher than what it was a year ago and the flour prices have increased by 20%, as per the Consumer Affairs department. In order to lower the prices, officials have announced that 5 million tons of wheat from the state reserves will be put up for sale.

India is alert and has set up a panel to oversee the impact of rising temperatures on the wheat crop. Farmers have been advised, by Singh, to spray their crops with potassium chloride, a type of fertilizer if the temperatures go beyond 30C or 86F in the day or 15C at night.