The Hindu Business Line : Sowing in wheat, mustard trails on dry weather

New Delhi, Nov. 23 Wheat acreage continues to officially lag behind this year, with farmers so far planting 80 lakh hectares (lh) under the crop, as compared to the corresponding last year’s coverage of 104.46 lh.

According to the Union Agriculture Ministry’s Crop Weather Watch Report, released here on Friday, area sown is lower mainly in Madhya Pradesh (13.09 lh versus 21.15 lh), Uttar Pradesh (12.94 lh versus 21.50 lh), Rajasthan (2.49 lh versus 6.69 lh), Maharashtra (3.21 lh versus 4.59 lh), Gujarat (1.80 lh versus 4 lh) and Karnataka (1.36 lh versus 1.78 lh).

Up in Punjab

On the other hand, acreage has gone up in Punjab (26.18 versus 25.04), while being marginally down in Haryana (17.50 versus 18). These are, however, still early trends and the coming weeks could well see a substantial covering-up taking place.

Positive factors

The two positive factors favouring enhanced sowing this time are optimal temperatures (with the timely onset of winter) and the remunerative minimum support price (Rs 1,000 per quintal) announced by the Centre. On the negative side, though, is dry weather, particularly in MP and Rajasthan. Both States have recorded very weak rainfall activity since August, thereby adversely impacting the soil moisture regime.

Also, unlike Punjab and Haryana – which have also received little monsoon (particularly second half of the season) and post-monsoon precipitation – the wheat grown in Central India is mostly rain-fed.

Poor soil moisture

In the case of Uttar Pradesh, the lag in sowing seems to be mainly on account of delayed start of crushing operations by sugar mills, preventing farmers from vacating their cane area for wheat.

The poor soil moisture conditions in central India have also hit planting of rapeseed-mustard and chana (gram or chickpea), which constitute the country’s most important rabi oilseeds and pulses crops, respectively. Progressive area under rapeseed-mustard is lower this time, at 42.44 lh, against last year’s corresponding 57.58 lh. Acreages have fallen sharply in Rajasthan (20.13 lh against 27.78 lh) and MP (3.99 lh against 6.26 lh), while less so in UP (6.46 lh against 6.93 lh), Haryana (5.50 lh against 5.97 lh) and Gujarat (2.94 lh against 3.32 lh).

GRAM STORY

The same (though less grim) story holds for gram, with overall coverage declining from 52.30 lh to 51.05 lh and more so in MP (from 21.53 lh to 17.98 lh). Maharashtra and Karnataka, too, have registered small drops, from 6.53 lh to 6.31 lh and from 6.22 lh to 6.04 lh, respectively. At the same time, these have been somewhat made up by increased planting in Rajasthan (from 7.72 to 8.58), UP (4.15 to 4.74) and Andhra Pradesh (3.89 to 4.38).

The total area sown so far under all rabi oilseeds is lower this year at 57.32 lh, over last year’s cumulative figure of 75.33 lh.

Besides rapeseed-mustard, acreages have also declined for sunflower (8.10 to 6.82), groundnut (from 2.60 lh to 2.12 lh), safflower (2.92 to 2.59), linseed (3.15 to 2.47) and sesamum (0.41 to 0.37).

Pulses scenario

The overall rabi pulses area, too, has registered a fall from 79.07 lh to 78.88 lh, including from 9.21 lh to 7.66 lh for lentil (masur), 4.77 lh to 4.36 lh for peas (matar), 4.34 lh to 3.83 lh for kulthi (horsegram) and lathyrus (from 3.44 lh to 3.02 lh).

However, more area has come under urad (from 1.73 lh to 3.48 lh) and moong (from 0.67 lh to 1.48 lh).

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