Wheat is a Rabi season crop and one of the primary cereal crops in India. The major areas under wheat production are Northwestern states like Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, and Punjab. Wheat cultivation in India requires a moist and cool climate and can be grown in well-drained, fertile black soil.
The country's wheat production is divided into six major zones: Northern Hill Zone, North Western Plains Zone, North Eastern Plains Zone, Central Zone, Peninsular Zone, and Southern Hill Zone.
As per the data published by the Department of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, the estimated wheat production in India in 2021-22 is around 106.84 million tons. The top five wheat-producing states in India contribute more than 85 per cent of the total wheat produced in the country. Let’s discuss each of them one by one.
The largest producer of wheat in India is Uttar Pradesh, followed by Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Punjab, Haryana, and Rajasthan. The table below shows the estimated wheat production in the top five states in 2021-22.
States |
Estimated Production (in million tons) |
Uttar Pradesh |
33.95 |
Madhya Pradesh |
22.42 |
Punjab |
14.82 |
Haryana |
10.45 |
Rajasthan |
9.48 |
Uttar Pradesh is the largest producer of wheat in India. It contributes around 31.77 per cent of the total wheat produced in the country. The state has an estimated production of 33.95 million tons of wheat in 2021-22. The estimated area under wheat cultivation in Uttar Pradesh is around 9.42 million hectares, which is around 30.92 per cent of the total area under wheat cultivation in the country. The major wheat-producing Uttar Pradesh districts in the state are Azamgarh, Jaunpur, Barabanki, Gorakhpur and Siddhart Nagar.
Madhya Pradesh is the second-largest wheat-producing state in India with an estimated wheat production of around 22.42 million tons in 2021-22. It is accountable for around 20.98 per cent of the country’s total wheat production. The total estimated area under wheat production in Madhya Pradesh is around 6.50 million hectares. Thus, it has a share of around 21.33 per cent of the country's total area under wheat cultivation. Hoshangabad district is the largest wheat-producing district in Madhya Pradesh.
Punjab ranks third among the largest wheat producers in India, with a share of around 13.87 per cent of the total production. The estimated wheat production in the state in 2021-22 is around 14.82 million tons. Punjab has around 11.57 per cent of the total area under wheat cultivation, which is around 3.52 million hectares. Gurdaspur, Pathankot, Amritsar, and Tarn Taran are the major wheat-producing districts in Punjab.
Haryana has secured fourth place among the top wheat-producing states in India. It contributes around 9.78 per cent of the total wheat production in the country. The estimated production is around 10.45 million tons in 2021-22. Haryana has an estimated land area of around 2.30 million hectares under wheat cultivation, which is approximately 7.65 per cent of the total land under wheat cultivation. Kaithal, Karnal, Jind, and Hisar are the popular wheat-producing regions in Haryana.
Rajasthan is fifth among the top wheat producers in India. The state has a share of approximately 8.88 per cent of the total wheat produced in the country. It has produced around 9.48 million tons of wheat in 2021-22. The total land under wheat cultivation in Rajasthan is estimated to be around 2.58 million hectares, which is approximately 8.47 per cent of the country's total land under wheat production. Shree Ganganagar and Hanumangarh are the major wheat producers in Rajasthan.
Uttar Pradesh has the highest wheat production in India.
You can use improved seed varieties and apply best cultivation practices to increase wheat production in India.
The average productivity of wheat crop in India in 2021-22 is approximately 106.84 million tons.