Earlier this year, torrential rains and hailstorms hit India's fertile northern, central and western plains, damaging ripening winter-planted crops including wheat and exposing farmers to losses.
India, the world's second-biggest producer of wheat, banned exports in May last year after a sharp and sudden rise in temperatures clipped output, although exports picked up to meet the global shortfall triggered by the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
India's wheat output fell to 107.74 million tonnes in 2022, from 109.59 million tonnes a year earlier, according to the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers' Welfare.
The country grows only one wheat crop in a year, with planting in October and November, and harvesting from March.
Despite the expected rise in output, India is likely to keep a lid on wheat exports as it seeks to replenish state reserves and bring down domestic prices.
The country's wheat procurement in 2023 could fall by a fifth from the initial estimate, as government purchases have slowed down in the last few days after local prices jumped.
Meanwhile, India raised its rice production estimate for 2022-23 to a record 135.5 million tonnes from an earlier estimate of 130.8 million tonnes, the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare said in a statement.
India banned overseas shipments of broken rice and imposed a 20% duty on exports of various other grades in September 2022 amid concerns over production because of below-average monsoon rainfall in key growing states.
The government on Wednesday said New Dehi could consider supplying broken rice to other countries only through diplomatic channels.
(Reporting by Mayank Bhardwaj; Editing by Rashmi Aich)
By Mayank Bhardwaj
