The Hindu Business Line : Kharif sowing lags despite monsoon revival

According to Agriculture Ministry’s latest sowing data, released here on Friday, the progressive area under all coarse cereals, pulses, cotton, sugarcane and jute so far this year continue to trail the coverage levels achieved during the corresponding period of 2007.

Paddy gains

There has also been a fall in acreage under all oilseeds, barring soyabean. The only crop to have registered an overall increase in area is paddy.

Maharashtra scene

The decline in sowing has been largely the outcome of deficient rainfall in Peninsular India – more so in the three States of Maharashtra, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh (AP).

Maharashtra has recorded a drop in area planted under jowar (11.85 to 5.99 lakh hectares), bajra (11.46 to 2.23 lakh hectares), maize (5.75 to 3.02 lakh hectares), cotton (26.19 to 22.50 lakh hectares), sugarcane (10.88 to 7.70 lakh hectares), arhar (10.06 to 7 lakh hectares), urad (5.36 to 2.51 lakh hectares), moong (6.2 to 3.63 lakh hectares), soybean (24.69 to 24.11 lakh hectares) and groundnut (2.98 to 1.82 lakh hectares).

Maize hit

In Karnataka, the reductions have been the sharpest for maize (9.27 to 6.25), moong (4.4 to 1.65), arhar (4.38 to 1.94), groundnut (5.85 to 4.13), bajra (3.67 to 0.69) and jowar (2.94 to 2.12), while in AP, the biggest casualties are groundnut (11.21 to 9.83), cotton (8.7 to 7.67), maize (4.76 to 2.51), sugarcane (2.47 to 1.29) and moong (2.76 to 1.72).

Krishi Bhawan officials feel that the revival of monsoon rains since the last week of July will result in a narrowing of the area gap for most crops in the coming days. They, however, admitted that late sowing may impact yields, as the crops would not be able to grow to their full duration.