Karnal, July 30 -- India produced a record 120.65 million tonnes (MT) of wheat during the 2025-26 rabi season, surpassing the Union agriculture ministry's target of 120MT, according to the data shared by Karnal-based Indian Institute of Wheat and Barley Research (IIWBR) on Wednesday. The harvest was 2.2% higher than last season's record output of 117.94MT, with production increasing by 2.71 MT year-on-year. The area under wheat expanded from 32.80 million hectares (Mha) in 2024-25 to 33.60 Mha this season. However, India, the world's second-largest wheat grower after China, saw a minor fall in wheat yield from 3,595 kilograms per hectare (kg/ha) in 2024-25 to 3,591 kg/ha this season, a decline of 4 kg/ha. Five major wheat-producing states - Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan - together account for nearly 85% of total output. Punjab continued to record the country's highest yield at 4,938 kg/ha, followed by Haryana, 4,759 kg/ha, Uttar Pradesh, 3,732 kg/ha, Rajasthan, 3,624 kg/ha and MP, 3,226 kg/ha. And out of these, except in MP, the wheat yield in the rest of the four was more than the national average of 3,591 kg/ha. However, Punjab also registered the sharpest year-on-year decline in yield among the major producing states. Punjab, which saw the worst floods in the decade in 2025, saw the yield fall by nearly 185 kg/ha, though it was still 27% above the national average. In 2024-25, Punjab's yield stood at 5,123 kg/ha. Haryana's yield also saw a minor dip of 15 kg/ha, while it rose by 93 kg/ha in Gujarat, 81 kg/ha in Chhattisgarh and 65 kg/ha in Rajasthan. Scientists at the institute attributed the record output to favourable weather conditions, use of climate-resilient seed varieties, and assured minimum support price on the crop as primary reasons....