Kharif sowing area jumps by 40%

Ample rains during recent cyclone Nisarga and higher than normal monsoon activity have helped farmers plant more oilseeds, pulses and coarse cereals crops, taking the total area under kharif sowing to 131 lakh hectares (lh) — which is nearly 40 per cent more than the 94 lh in the corresponding week last year, according to data released from Agriculture Ministry on Friday.

Oilseeds, pulses gain

Farmers have planted oilseeds over 14.3 lh as against just 1.6 lh in the same period last year. There is a substantial increase in area under both groundnut and soyabean crops. If groundnut planted area was 10 lh this week as compared to 0.6 lh in the same week in 2019-20, the soyabean area went up to 3.5 lh (0.53 lh).

There is a spectacular increase in coarse cereals coverage, too.

Thanks to increase in planting of maize and bajra this year, the acreage of coarse cereals increased to more than 19 lh this week as compared to 7.8 lh in the corresponding week in the previous year.

Pulses, cash crops

Because of a spurt in arhar and moong planting, the area under pulses increased by 107 per cent to 4.6 lh (2.2 lh).

The area under cotton, too, moved up by 58 per cent as compared to same week last kharif season — from 18.2 lh to 28.8 lh this week. The area under rice and sugarcane remained more or less same as the same period last year at 10 lh and 48.6 lh, respectively.

Monsoon progress

Apart from increased soil moisture due to frequent summer showers and copious rains brought by cyclones, the South-West monsoon has been very active since its onset in Kerala on June 1.

According to the Met Department, the country as a whole received a rainfall of 108.3 mm against the normal of 82.4 mm during the period between June 1 and June 18.

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