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With almost three-fourth of total districts in the country receiving excess to normal rainfall so far, the area under kharif crops increased by 88 per cent over to 433 lakh hectares (lh) till Friday as against 230 lh in the corresponding week last year, according to kharif sowing data released by the Agriculture Ministry here.
Oilseeds and pulses, which are predominantly rain-fed crops, recorded highest increase as compared to the same period last year.
With Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra planting soyabean over 42.2 lh and 29 lh as compared to 8.5 lh and 1 lh, respectively, during the corresponding period the total area under soyabean cultivation zoomed 225 per cent to 109 lh. Similarly, Gujarat — which planted groundnut over 16.3 lh as against 10 lh — accounted for most of the increase in groundnut planting, which went up by 60 per cent to 25 lh.
The area under pulses crops, too, registered a whopping 289 per cent increase to nearly 37 lh as compared to the same period last year. There was a five-fold increase in area under arhar crop which went up to 16.5 lh from 2.8 lh in the corresponding period last year.
The area under urad and moong, on the other hand, increased by 369 per cent and 200 per cent to 8.8 lh and 9.4 lh, respectively. Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh reported maximum increase in pulses sowing so far.
Cotton, coarse cereals
There is also a 100 per cent jump in cotton planting to 91.7 lh with Maharashtra and Telangana planting cotton over 33 lh (4.6 lh) and 15 lh (7.9 lh), respectively.
Almost 96 per cent increase in maize sowing to 45.6 lh pulled up the area under coarse cereals to 70.7 lh, which was 101 per cent more than 35.2 lh planted in the same week last year. Other major coarse cereal crops such as bajra and jowar, too, registered more than 100 per cent increase as compared to the previous year.
Slow start in rice
Rice planting, too, is picking up momentum, albeit slowly. So far farmers have planted paddy over 68 lh (49.2 lh). Much of the increase in rice planting is reported from Chhattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.
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