CIMMYT report on wheat improvement 1978

Abstract

World wheat production for the year ending in mid-1978 dropped to 382 million tonnes (metric tons) from the record mid-1977 level of 415 million tonnes (USDA World Agricultural Situation, 18 December 1978). Most of the reduction occurred in the grain exporting nations-Argentina, ,, Australia, Canada and the United States. A drop in production of approximately 11 million tonnes also occurred in the Centrally Planned Countries, with the Soviet Union and the People's Republic of China each registering a decrease of approximately five million tonnes. On the other hand, India and Turkey harvested record crops and both countries have built large reserve stocks. Turkey, during the past two years, also has established itself as a sizable wheat exporter into African and Southern European markets. India, during 1978 for the first time since independence, also exported 700,000 tonnes of wheat to several neighboring countries including the USSR, Vietnam, Sri Lanka and Afghanistan, while at the same time building a large reserve stock. Pakistan, on the other hand, experienced a sharp drop in production during 1978 resulting primarily from a severe widespread epidemic of leaf rust. This experience clearly indicates the need for efficient continuous monitoring of the rust populations in farmers' fields by plant pathologists and must culminate in a decision to timely multiply and distribute new varieties whenever needed, in order to provide adequate protection against the changes in races of the populations of the rust pathogens. Despite the reduction in world wheat production during 1978, total world agricultural output increased by about 2.5 per cent, largely because of sizable increases in production of rice and coarse grains. Worldwide grain reserves stood at about 16 per cent of annual consumption, compared to 11.5 per cent during the serious shortages of the 1972-73 to 1974-75 period. India, for the first time in its history, has built a large reserve stock of grains, largely wheat from domestic production, now estimated to be about 16 million tonnes. Such reserve stocks will provide considerable protection against a bad harvest which could result from a poor monsoon. Moreover, during the past year, about 1.5 million tonnes of grain from reserve stocks have been distributed to unemployed or underemployed who are engaged in government "food for work" programs, which are designed for the dual purpose of relieving poverty and hunger while, at the same time, improving the infrastructure of the rural economy. The success of the "food for work" program during its first year in operation will likely lead to the expansion of this program in the years ahead.