The Hindu Business Line : Wheat acreage up 6.7%, tops 260 lakh hectares

Area sown under wheat has touched 263.91 lakh hectares (lh) so far this year, which is 6.7 per cent higher than the 247.25 lh covered during the same period of 2005. Farmers have already planted more than the normal wheat area (five-year average) of 260.50 lh.

Up in all States

All major wheat-growing States have reported higher cumulative acreages over the previous year. They include Uttar Pradesh (86.61 lh versus 83.30 lh), Punjab (34.20 versus 34.11), Haryana (23.50 versus 23.00), Madhya Pradesh (39.66 versus 35.08), Rajasthan (22.30 versus 22.12), Gujarat (10.89 versus 8.69), Maharashtra (9.82 versus 8.49), Bihar (19.68 versus 15.93), Uttaranchal (3.23 versus 3.12) and Karnataka (2.40 versus 1.84).

Jowar area down

There have also been increases in area under rabi maize (from 6.79 lh to 9.86 lh) and rabi rice (from 7.79 lh to 8.81 lh), while declining marginally from 47.69 lh to 47.30 lh in the case of jowar (sorghum).

The higher coverage under rabi maize will partially offset the setback for the crop during the kharif season, which has led to a spurt in maize prices much to the discomfiture of the domestic poultry, livestock and starch industry.

On the other hand, there has been a drop in acreages under rabi oilseeds, led by rapeseed-mustard. Pulses area is higher mainly on account of chana (chickpea).

Farmers have basically diverted rapeseed-mustard area to chana in Madhya Pradesh and to wheat in Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana.

As regards oilseeds, the area under rapeseed/mustard has declined to 65.83 lh from 72.08 lh. Area under groundnut is, however, up at 4.39 lh (3.95 lh).