IndianAgri
Rabi

Wheat

Triticum aestivum · Poaceae (grasses)

India's principal rabi (winter) cereal and, after rice, the second pillar of the country's food security.

Production · Wheat

113.3 MT

1,132.92 lakh tonnes — record, 2023–24 Final Estimates

Source: DA&FW Final Estimates 2023–24 (PIB)
2023–24

Key figures

Area

31.8 M ha

area under wheat

Ministry of Agriculture (DES) · 2023–24

Yield

≈3,560 kg/ha

derived: production ÷ area

Derived from DES figures · 2023–24

MSP

₹2,425

per quintal

CACP / DA&FW · RMS 2025–26

World producer

No. 2

after China

FAOSTAT · reference

Top state

Uttar Pradesh

largest — 38.07 MT

DES crop APY database · 2022–23

Growing season

Rabi

Oct–Apr

DA&FW · reference

About wheat

Wheat is India's principal rabi cereal — sown as the monsoon retreats in autumn and harvested in spring. Alongside rice, it anchors the country's foodgrain security and the public distribution system.

The bulk of India's wheat is grown across the Indo-Gangetic plains of the north, where cool winters and assured irrigation suit the crop. Yields are sensitive to late-season heat, so the timing of the spring harvest matters greatly.

India is the world's second-largest wheat producer after China. The 2023–24 crop was a record, and a large share is procured into the central pool that supplies ration shops and national buffer stocks.

Where it’s grown

Leading producing states

  1. 1Uttar Pradesh38.07 MT
  2. 2Madhya Pradesh34.98 MT
  3. 3Punjab16.57 MT
  4. 4Rajasthan11.32 MT
  5. 5Haryana11.06 MT

Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh dominate India's wheat, together over 70 MT. These are DES crop-database (APY) state figures for 2022–23 and are not reconciled to the national Final Estimate.

DES crop APY database · 2022–23

How it’s grown

Season
Rabi (winter)
Sowing
October–December
Harvest
March–April
Climate
Cool, dry growing season; sensitive to late-season heat
Water
Moderate; largely irrigated

Major varieties

HD 2967

Long the most widely grown Indian wheat — high-yielding and disease-resistant.

HD 3086

A popular IARI bread-wheat variety; with HD 2967 has covered a large share of the wheat area.

DBW 187 (Karan Vandana)

A high-yielding variety popular across the north-eastern plains.

PBW 343

A widely grown variety of the north-western plains.

Lok 1

A long-popular variety in central India.

Widely grown released varieties (not an area-ranked list). HD 2967 and HD 3086 together have covered a large share of India's wheat area in recent years. ICAR — released/landmark varieties.

Economics & trade

Wheat is priced each rabi season through a Minimum Support Price announced by the government on the advice of the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP). For the 2025–26 marketing season the MSP is ₹2,425 per quintal.

A significant share of the crop is procured by government agencies into the central pool, which supplies the public distribution system and maintains strategic buffer stocks. Procurement is concentrated in the northern surplus states.

Uses

  • Milled into atta and maida for rotis, breads, and a wide range of processed foods.
  • A staple of the public distribution system and national food-security programmes.
  • By-products such as bran and straw are used as cattle feed and fodder.

Notable facts

  • Almost all of India's wheat is bread wheat (Triticum aestivum); durum (pasta) wheat is a smaller share.
  • The Green Revolution of the 1960s, built on high-yielding dwarf wheat, turned India from a wheat importer into a self-sufficient producer.
  • Uttar Pradesh alone grows roughly a third of the national wheat crop.
  • Wheat is a rabi crop: its yield hinges on a cool winter and a timely spring harvest before the heat sets in.

Frequently asked

In which season is wheat grown in India?
Wheat is a rabi (winter) crop — sown from October to December and harvested in March–April.
What is the MSP of wheat?
For the Rabi Marketing Season 2025–26 the Minimum Support Price for wheat is ₹2,425 per quintal (CACP / DA&FW).
Which is the largest wheat-producing state in India?
Uttar Pradesh is the largest wheat-producing state, followed by Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Rajasthan and Haryana (DES crop data, 2022–23).
How much wheat does India produce?
India produced a record 113.3 million tonnes of wheat in 2023–24 (Final Estimates) and is the world's second-largest producer after China.
Which wheat varieties are most widely grown?
HD 2967 and HD 3086 have been among the most widely grown; newer high-yielding varieties such as DBW 187 (Karan Vandana) are expanding across the plains.

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