The Hindu Business Line : Kharif acreage under most crops up

Holding promise
Area under rice up at 116.78 lakh hectares against 115.37 lakh hectares during the same period in 2006.
Cotton acreage up from 64.17 lh to 72.28 lh; oilseeds increase from 117.37 lh to 121.60 lh.

Our Bureau

New Delhi, July 20 After an overall good agricultural year in 2006-07, the current kharif season seems to hold promise as well, with acreages under most crops being higher on the back of good monsoon precipitation.

The ongoing south-west monsoon season (June-September) has till July 18 seen the country on a whole receiving an area-weighted rainfall of 365.9 mm. This is 10.8 per cent higher than the historical “normal” or long period average (LPA) of 330.2 mm for this period.

The entire southern peninsula, west, central-west and north-west India, and the eastern coast stretching to West Bengal has recorded copious rains.

The only problem areas are Uttar Pradesh, eastern Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand and the North-East. But even here, the week ended July 18 has witnessed heavy rainfall in eastern Uttar Pradeshand Bihar, which may well turn out to be life-saving showers.

Sowing rates

The good rains have resulted in higher sowing rates for rice, coarse cereals, cotton, and oilseeds. The Agriculture Ministry’s Crop Weather Watch report, released on Friday, shows an area of 116.78 lakh hectares (lh) to have been planted so far under rice in the ongoing kharif season, which is higher than the 115.37 lh for the corresponding period of 2006.

Coarse cereals have also registered increased overall coverage (from 136.72 lh to 144.06 lh), mainly due to bajra (from 47.42 lh to 57.43 lh), which has more than offset the declines in maize (from 56.76 to 54.72 lh) and jowar (from 26.08 to 24.32 lh).

Cotton acreage

Similarly, cotton acreage has shot up from 64.17 lh to 72.28 lh, with Bt cotton alone accounting for an estimated 24.37 lh till now. The progressive area under kharif oilseeds, too, is up from 117.37 lh to 121.60 lh.

The latter includes 33.59 lh under groundnut (31.54 lh), 71.67 lh under soybean (67.45 lh), 8.16 lh under sesamum (8.93 lh), 4.61 lh under sunflower (6.05 lh), and 3.11 lh under castor (2.77 lh).

Sugarcane coverage has, however, fallen from 48.13 lh to 44.37 lh, with the crash in sugar prices prompting farmers to divert area to maize, cotton and soyabean.

More Stories on : Agriculture | Cultivation

Article E-Mail :: Comment :: Syndication :: Printer Friendly Page