Ranked next to maize in terms of consumption, wheat has been playing an important role in leveraging the agrarian scenario of India. The annual production of wheat in India stands at 65-75 million tonnes, thereby making India its second largest producer in the world after China. People in India consume 70-72 million tonnes of wheat on an average. In India, it is commonly known as 'atta' and is eaten mostly in the form of rotis, chapatis, etc. There are about 200 flour mills operating in India having a capacity to produce about 15 million tons of wheat.

Types of Wheat A wide variety of wheat is grown in today's times. However, the three principal types of wheat that are produced in India comprise of:

Hard Red Winter Wheat: It produces good quality flour used primarily in making bread, burgers, biscuits, etc. It has a high protein content of 10-14%, because of which it has a high amount of gluten in it Soft Wheat: Products like cakes, doughnuts, cookies, pastries, etc. are best made with soft wheat as it does not require the same amount of leavening as yeast bread. It contains about 6-10% protein in it Durum: Durum has a very hard texture and has a high protein and gluten content in it. It contains semolina, a course, golden amber product, which, when mixed with water, forms a dough. It's this dough that is largely used in making pasta products like noodles, spaghetti, etc. White Wheat: It has a soft texture and is used in making cereals, cakes, biscuits, etc.