Kharif acreage edges up 5%, cotton slips on heavy rains

Kharif acreage in the 2015-16 continued to be ahead of the previous year although the gap appears to be shrinking.

According to data released by the Agriculture ministry today, area under kharif crops such as rice, soyabean, cotton, sugarcane and a range of pulses, touched 847.4 lakh hectares (lh) as on Friday – 4.8 per cent higher than the 808.4 lh recorded during the corresponding period last year.

The acreage represents 80.5 per cent of the normal area for the season.

Pulses continue to lead the increase in Kharif acreage, having covered 92.64 lh, up 14 per cent from the 81.24 lh recorded at the same time last year.

Urad acreage is higher by 16.7 per cent at 23.56 lh while area under moongbean has touched 21.24 lh – up 19.9 per cent from 17.71 lh during the same time in 2014-15.

Arhar (tur) coverage, however, fell for the first time this season when compared to the previous year. It currently stands at 29.82 lh(30.24 lh).

Cotton acreage declined again this week and has slipped about 6 per cent from the corresponding period last year.

It stands at 105.68 lh against 112.24 lh earlier. Some of the reduction in area can be attributed to heavy rain in parts of the cotton belt in Gujarat over the previous week.

“There’s been some damage in parts of Banaskantha due to heavy rains. Estimates are not yet available since workers have not been able to enter the fields to assess it. On the whole, it should not affect output too much,” said Manish Patel, Programme Coordinator of the Krishi Vigyan Kendra in Mehsana.

Coarse cereals like jowar and bajra have covered 158.62 lh, 12.2 per cent higher than the 141.43 lh recorded at the same time last season, mainly due to drier conditions persisting across central India till earlier this week.

Bajra and jowar acreages have risen 20.9 per cent and 13.8 per cent, respectively. Area under kharif maize has touched 70.36 lh (66.69 lh).

Rice, the season’s main foodgrain, has been covered on 277.89 lh – up 4.5 per cent from the 265.9 lh covered at the same time last season. Oilseeds such as soyabean and groundnut have been sown on 157.43 lh (152.31 lh).

Soyabean acreage increased 6.4 per cent to 110.71 lh from 104.02. Area under groundnut, however, has slipped 4 per cent to 31.06 lh (32.36 lh).

Sugarcane coverage is up marginally at 47.36 lh from 47.17 lh, while area under jute and mesta has fallen nearly 5 per cent to 7.79 lh.

COMMENT NOW