Kharif crops have been sown on 306.06 lakh hectares (lha), according to data released by the Agriculture Ministry on Friday. The sowing took place on the back of 16 per cent above normal rainfall in June.

The latest acreage data represent a 57.6 per cent increase in sowing over the corresponding period last year and an almost 85 per cent surge over the previous week, when acreage stood at 165.6 lha.

The key Kharif crops include rice (paddy), oilseeds such as soyabean and groundnut, cotton, pulses, sugarcane and a range of coarse cereals, including jowar and bajra.

Rice up marginally Rice, the main crop of the season, registered a marginal uptick of about 0.9 per cent from the previous year and stood at 54.03 lha from 53.56 lha in 2014-15.

The data recorded higher area under paddy in Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat, while it is down nearly 5.23 lha in basmati-growing Punjab. Lower acreage was also reported in Assam, Odisha and West Bengal, among other States.

Sugarcane acreage has also risen slightly to 43.68 lha from 43.92 lha during the same time last year.

Sowing of pulses such as arhar (tur), moong and urad has taken place across 22.61 lha, a massive 133 per cent increase over the previous year, led by Maharashtra (3.38 lha), Madhya Pradesh (2.97 lha) and Karnataka (1.67 lha).

Stock limits for pulses The Food Ministry is mulling over introduction of stock limits for Kharif pulses to dissuade hoarding and to ease pressure on retail prices, which are up 33 per cent (urad) and 38 per cent (arhar) in the Capital, over last year.

The subject is likely to be taken up during a meeting with State Food Ministers on July 7.

“We want States to impose stock limits only on arhar, urad and moong, not on chana, matar and masoor. They need to ensure there is no hoarding,” said Food Minister Ram Vilas Paswan.

comment COMMENT NOW