India's grain output up, storage problem seen

Following are selected highlights from a report issued by a US Department of Agriculture attache in India: "The Ministry of Agriculture's third advance estimate indicates that India is set to attain a record food grain production of 235.9 million tonnes in the current crop year.
Post's MY (marketing year) 2011/12 wheat production has been revised higher to 84.2 million tonnes on favourable cool weather conditions during the later crop growth stage supporting higher yields. Government warehouses are full, with wheat and rice stocks more than double the desired levels, as of April 1, 2011. Expected record government wheat procurement and steady rice procurement in the coming months will further aggravate the crisis, posing serious storage challenges to the government.