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Our Bureau

Wheat, maize and rice see expansion

New Delhi , Jan. 14

Rabi oilseeds coverage this year is more than 10 lakh hectares (lh) short compared to last year's levels.

According to the Agriculture Ministry's latest crop acreage data compiled till January 11, farmers have planted lower area under every single rabi oilseeds, including rapeseed-mustard, sunflower, groundnut, safflower, linseed and sesamum.

Dip in pulses

The progressive acreage of rabi pulses has also dipped marginally. The additional four lh sown under chana (gram or chickpea) has been offset by reduced plantings of masur (lentil), matar (pea) and urad (black gram).

On the other hand, wheat, rabi maize and rice have seen huge expansions.

There has been diversion of rapeseed-mustard area to wheat in Rajasthan, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh (UP), and to chana in Madhya Pradesh (MP).

Wheat area

The area sown under wheat has touched 279.43 lh so far this year, which is 6.7 per cent higher than the 261.79 lh covered during the same period of 2005-06. Farmers have already planted more than the normal wheat area (five-year average) of 260.50 lh.

All the major wheat-growing States have reported higher cumulative acreage over the previous year. They include UP (91.64 lh versus 88.38 lh), Punjab (34.42 vs 34.30), Haryana (23.65 versus 23.04), MP (41.40 versus 36.04), Rajasthan (22.58 vs 20.12), Bihar (23.93 vs 22.87), Gujarat (12.00 vs 9.13) and Maharashtra (10.87 vs 9.84).

Maize

There have also been increases in area under rabi maize (from 7.37 lh to 10.53 lh) and rabi rice (from 11.75 lh to 13.15 lh), while declining marginally from 48.10 lh to 47.78 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.

More Stories on : Oilseeds & Edible Oil | Cultivation

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