The Hindu Business Line : 30% sowing completed in Gujarat

Gandhinagar, July 3 Even as farmers in Central and North Gujarat waited with bated breath for the second spell of monsoon rains to enable them to start sowing of seeds, Saurashtra led the State’s farming community with 30 per cent sowing reported following a bountiful second spell during the last few days.

Official sources told Business Line here that sowing has been reported in 30.26 per cent on an average in the State since the current rainy season began some three weeks ago. After a painfully dry spell of two weeks, rains returned to many parts of the State over the last week-end in the second spell, which is continuing.

Of the nearly 85.77 lakh hectares of land under cultivation in Gujarat, sowing has been completed in 30.26 per cent of this area (25.95 lakh hectares) till June 30. Of this, the maximum sowing, in more than 22 lakh hectares, has been reported from eight districts of the Saurashtra-Kutch region where average rainfall has been 145.75 mms since the onset of monsoon.

On an average, Gujarat has received 13 per cent of total expected rains in a season.

Groundnut tops list

Among the crops, groundnut tops the list. Out of 17.72 lakh hectares under the crop, sowing has been completed in 13.65 lakh hectares (77 per cent). Sowing of cotton seeds is over in 8.59 lakh hectares comprising 30 per cent area under this cash crop. Paddy (including bajra and maize) accounts for a total of 1.51 lakh hectares while pulses have been sown in 47,000 hectares. Besides, other crops such as til, castor and soyabean would be sown in the coming days in 49,000, 4,600 and 11,700 hectares, respectively, the sources said.

This year, Gujarat produced more than 30 lakh tonnes of wheat, with productivity being 3.5 tonnes a hectare.

This is expected to catch up with Punjab’s productivity of five to six tonnes a hectare in the next few years.

Gujarat’s contribution to the country’s cotton production has gone up from 17 per cent to 40 per cent between 2001-02 and 2007-08.

In 2006-07, the State produced 92 lakh bales (of 170 kg each). However, due to inclement weather in March-April this year, cotton yield fell from the expected 125 lakh bales to nearly 100 bales.

During the last five years, Gujarat’s agricultural production in terms of rupees has gone up by nearly four times, from Rs 9,000 crore to Rs 34,000 crore, the sources said.