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As the wheat acreage for this rabi season narrows down its gain over the year-ago period and with sowing nearing completion, farmers and other stakeholders are hoping that the crop is harvested without any unnatural climate-related impact. The first crop is expected to reach the market after three weeks and the good weather so far has ignited hopes for a bumper harvest.
The absolute increase in area under wheat is now pegged at 2.29 lakh hectare (lh) from its year-ago level, compared with the absolute increase of 34 lh at the season’s peak on December 9. Wheat has reached at 332.16 lh, so far, in the ongoing rabi season of the 2022-23 crop year (July-June), as per the Agriculture Ministry data released Friday.
States have reported any issueswith regards to supply of power, diesel, irrigation water, seed and fertilisers. There are also no reports of any pest attack from anywhere, officials said. The major concern is about temperature in next three months, which will decide the crop output, the officials said. The target has been set at 112 million tonnes (mt) in current year.
Fingers crossed
“Even if the acreage remains at par with last year it is not bad and the country can get a same output as was predicted initiially, which is close to our target,” said an official. In the second advance estimate for 2021-22 crop, the government was expecting 111.32 mt of wheat production, which was subsequently revised to 106.84 mt due to drop in yield following a heat wave in March-April that shrivelled the grain.
Total area under all rabi crops has increased 2.86 per cent to 665.58 lh as on January 6 from 647.02 lh a year ago. Winter paddy acreage has increased to 21.29 lh from 16.45 lh and pulses to 157.67 lh from 156.23 lh. Area under main rabi pulse chana (gram) has been covered in 107.82 lh against 109.17 lh as many farmers shifted to mustard cultivation on hopes of better price realisation. Masur (lentil) sowing has reached at 18.19 lh against 17.18 lh in the year-ago period.
Coarse and nutri-cereals acreage is up at 48.97 lh (46.80 lh) while oilseeds area has increased to 105.49 lh (97.66 lh). Mustard has reportedly sown in 95.34 lh, compared with 88.42 lh year-ago, the data show.
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