On the other hand its neighbours, Pakistan and Bangladesh would register a record wheat production during the current year due to various positive factors, it says.

Increased plantings, better availability of agricultural credit and increased use of fertiliser would ensure a record wheat crop for Pakistan that could touch 18 million tonnes, says the FAO in its latest ``Food Outlook''report.

In Bangladesh, a bumper wheat crop of about 1.8 million tonnes is anticipated reflecting favourable growing conditions, says the report.

However, output of wheat crop in Asia during 1998 is provisionally forecast at 248 million tonnes that would be about two million tonnes below last year's levels. In China, persisting drought conditions are reported to have affected winter crops in some major wheatgrowing areas.

Recent official reports in China indicate a two to four per cent fall in the output from the last year's record crop production of 124 million tonnes, says the FAO. Due to the anticipated fall in wheat production, India may have to resort to imports this year, says the FAO.

As a result of continuous fast growth in domestic consumption the centre will have to contain the rise in wheat prices, it says adding the Indian government recently decided to purchase large volumes of wheat from Australia.

Elsewhere in Asia, China's wheat purchases during 1997-98 are likely to fall to three million tonnes, some two million tonnes less than in the previous year due to the bumper crop of 124 million tonnes last year.

Wheat imports by iran are also estimated to decline sharply by 30 per cent during 1997-98 due to larger harvest and higher carryovers, the FAO said.