The Hindu Business Line : Area under most rabi crops down — Wheat, rapeseed/mustard coverage up

RABI sowing has commenced in most parts of the country but the area under most crops, barring wheat, gram and rapeseed/mustard, has declined compared to the same period last year.

According to the Department of Agriculture and Cooperation, the area under wheat is up 13 lakh hectares (lh) at 20 lh so far.

This is mainly because the wheat growing areas had received late rains during the kharif season enabling farmers to go in for quick sowing.

Also, some of the farmers who missed out on kharif rice have been quick to sow wheat.

Sowing of rice has begun in most parts of the country but no details are available on the acreage covered.

Coarse cereals are the ones witnessing a sharp fall. Area under coarse cereals is down to 25 lh from 38 lh during the same period last year.

The coverage of jowar, especially, is down by 12 lh at 24 lh.

Area under pulses is up marginally over 26.8 lh a year ago. Among them, are under gram is down one lh at 19 lh, while coverage of other pulses is up by 1 lh at 7.8 lh.

The area under oilseeds is down by two lh but the coverage of rapeseed/mustard is up by two lh at 31 lh compared to the same period a year ago.

On the other hand, the area under other oilseeds such as groundnut, safflower, sunflower, sesamum and linseed is down to 12.4 lh against 15.6 lh last year.

The lower coverage comes despite a 16 per cent rise in post-monsoon rains in the country.

The north-western and north-eastern parts of the country have mainly benefited from the rainfall. Also, wheat sowing has been speeded up due to temperatures that are lower by 2-3 degrees Celsius during in the north-west part that comprises major wheat-growing areas such as Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Punjab.

On the water storage front, the live storage is currently 65 per cent of the full reservoir level but compared to last year, it is higher by six per cent.

Meanwhile, procurement of rice for the central pool is up at 77.55 lakh tonnes (75.78 lakh tonnes last year) with most of the stocks being mopped up from Punjab and Haryana.