Better market prices commanded by gram has pushed up area under chana dal by over 30 per cent as rabi sowing covered 265 lakh hectares (lha), 10 per cent more than nearly 242 lha planted in the corresponding week last year, data released by the Agriculture Ministry showed on Friday.

Farmers have planted gram over 57 lha (44 lha), while the area under wheat remained marginally higher at 97 lha, even though Madhya Pradesh and Punjab reported an increase of 5.4 lha and 2.5 lha, respectively as compared to same period in the previous rabi season.

The spurt in gram acreage has resulted in total pulses area going up by nearly 28 per cent to nearly 83 lha (65 lha). Lentil and fieldpea, too, reported 30 and 27 per cent increase in area year-on-year.

Oilseeds, cereals rise

Oilseeds planting is up by nearly 6.6 per cent as compared to the same period last year, mainly because of higher planting of mustard and rapeseed in Rajasthan.

The total area under oilseeds is 55.5 lha, of which 52.25 lha is of mustard and rapeseed.

Acreage of coarse cereals leaped to nearly 23 lha — which is nearly 7 per cent more than around 21 lha planted in the same period last year. While the area under jowar increased by 12.5 per cent planting of maize and barley edged down.

Storage levels

Winter rice planting is up only by 4 per cent to 7.26 lha mainly due to a slight increase in acreage in Tamil Nadu and Kerala, despite a 4 per cent drop in the North-East monsoon rainfall. As against the normal of 97.9 mm, actual rainfall till Thursday was 94.2 mm as per India Meteorological Department data.

According to Central Water Commission, which tracks water storage in 123 major reservoirs in the country, total water available in these water bodies on Thursday was 93 per cent of storage last year but 117 per cent more than the storage average of last 10 years.

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