Sowing pattern set to change in Gujarat as monsoon plays truant

Slow progress of monsoon over Gujarat is seen causing a crop-shift this kharif season.

The pace of cotton sowing has slowed, while that of groundnut and soyabean has jumped a noticeable quantum.

The kharif sowing started in Gujarat around June 15-20 but on a sluggish note. The farmers turned to major cash crops including cotton, groundnut and tur or redgram. However, according to the latest sowing figures released by the State Agriculture department, cotton sowing grew by 400 per cent during June 20 to July 4 period from 1,75,500 hectares to 7,07,500 hectares.

But as the rains slowed down over the State in the subsequent days, the sowing pattern tilted towards groundnut and soyabean, which reported dramatic rise in the acreage during the same period from 38,400 hectares to 4,56,400 hectares and 100 hectares to 21,600 hectares respectively.

Total area cultivated so far stands at 15,16,500 hectares – less than 18 per cent of the normal sowing area of 86,71,500 hectares.

As on July 5, the State received 12.22 per cent of normal rainfall.

“There needs to be a widespread rainfall covering most of the sowing regions. What we have seen in past few days is sporadic rains. If this continues for a week more, we see cotton area shifting towards other crops such as groundnut, soyabean and tur,” said a farmer from Rajkot district in Saurashtra.

The Met Department has predicted “light to moderate rain/thundershowers very likely at many places in the districts of South Gujarat region and in Daman, Dadra Nagar Haveli, at a few places in North Gujarat, Saurashtra and in Diu, at isolated places in Kutch district.”