According to data released by the Ministry of Agriculture, higher than average planting of cereals, pulses and oilseeds increased the region under rabi season up to 565 lakh hectares (lha) until Friday, almost 4.7% higher than around 539 lha sown in the corresponding week previous year.
Until this week, the area under wheat was 294 lha, which is 5.5% more than about 279 lha planted last year during the same week. Not only did Madhya Pradesh, which sown an extra 11 lha, Maharashtra (2.4 lha) and Gujarat (1.67 lha) account for the jump, but the lower sowing in Rajasthan and Haryana were also covered.
The pulse area increased by almost 7% at 141 lha, thanks to over 10% in the gramme area covering almost 98 lha. Maharashtra (which planted 18.59 lha) accounted for much of this jump in pulse planting compared to previous season’s 13.40 lh and Gujarat (which has a Bengal gramme area of 7.5 lha) compared with previous year’s 2.75 lh.
The area under oilseed crops has increased by 6% to 77 lha mainly due to a rise in the area of mustard-rapeseed, which has increased by 8.4% to 70 lha up to this week. The rise was accounted for by Jharkhand with an extra area of 1.7 lh and Rajasthan with 1.28 lh.
Sowing of Rabi crops crosses last year’s level by 10%
Both large coarse cereals are planted in lower areas, reducing the total area by more than 5% to just over 41 lh, while 11.39 lh of winter rice is planted, which is approximately 8.5% lower than that of the same week last year.
Meanwhile, 128 reservoirs controlled by the Central Water Commission have 131 billion cubic metres (BCM) of total water storage, which is almost 12 BCM lower than around 142 BCM in the same week last year.
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