Sudden pick-up in wheat and pulses sowing this week has helped the country register a 5 per cent increase in rabi planting this year to 487 lakh hecatres (lh), according to data released by the Agriculture Ministry on Friday. In comparison, the total planted area in the corresponding week last year was 463.33 lh.

The area under wheat — the primary rabi crop — has gone up by nearly 10 per cent to 248 lh, mainly due to increase in acreage in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan. While the area under wheat in Madhya Pradesh increased by 36 per cent to 60.42 lh, that in Rajasthan went up by 30 per cent to 27.3 lh as compared to the corresponding week last year. Other major wheat-growing States such as Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Haryana more or less retained the same acreage.

Pulses area rises

Surge in gram cultivation, particularly in Rajasthan, lifted the total pulses sown area to 119 lh, about 1.5 per cent short of 121 lh planted in the previous year. Rajasthan, which planted gram in nearly 20 lh, about 50 per cent more area than last year, emerged the second largest gram-growing State after Madhya Pradesh, which has planted gram on around 24 lh.

Oilseeds, coarse cereals up

There has been a spectacular recovery in the sowing of oilseeds also this week, with mustard/rapeseed crop reaching almost same levels in major States such as Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh as the corresponding week last year. But the total area under oilseeds is still 3.5 per cent lower than last year.

There has been an impressive increase in both jowar and barley sowing this week helping coarse cereals planting to go up by 12 per cent to 40 lh . However, the area under maize is down by around 8 per cent to 9.43 lh.

At 11.31 lh, the area under rice continues to be 20 per cent more than the corresponding week last year.

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