Temps Up 7-8C Abover Averages Across N. India As Crop Yields Fall

NEW DELHI, FEBRUARY 23: As North India grapples with temperatures 7-8 degrees above normal for the entire month of February, the unusual warmth has found an unusual echo: at a national conference on pre-kharif crops, top agricultural officials of all states discussed weather change and how to respond to it in the fields.

Of special significance was Punjab’s presentation that showed sharp fluctuations in January-February temperatures over the last five years. Officials say this coincided with a dip in the state’s wheat yields and although there is no evidence to establish a cause-effect relationship, the correlation is enough cause for concern.

In fact, Haryana even demanded a variety of ‘‘spring wheat,’’ keeping in view the rising temperatures in February. ‘‘There is going to be a fall in the production of wheat by five 5 per cent in the state this year and the yield has taken a hit for the last five years,’’ said B S Sidhu, Director, Agriculture, Punjab.

Daytime temperature of 27 degrees and above is expected only in the last week of March, he said. ‘‘But for the last five years, February is what the last week of March should have been,’’ he said. High temperature means that wheat grains dry up and are not formed properly. Since the crop matures early, there is less time for wheat stalks to develop fully.

EDIT

http://www.indianexpress.com/full_story.php?content_id=88504

India has I believe 1.3 billion people. They're coming up short aas it is.

This means that they will probably need to import wheat, most probably from the US. It's a good thing they have some outsourced jobs.

Good news for the Canadian Wheat Board, the world's largest wheat exporter...