Kharif sowing crosses 100 million hectares

Buoyed by a sizeable 14 per cent increase in planting of oilseeds and rice, the total area less than kharif crops so much crossed one,000 lakh hectares (lh) now and is all established to clock a new file in total cropped area.

Kharif sowing info unveiled by the Agriculture Ministry on Friday reported a total of one,016 lh has been planted so much, approximately nine per cent extra than 936 lh sown in the corresponding week past yr.

Rice is established to witness a file planting area. Rice planting has now coated 352 lh, 14 per cent extra than 309 lh planted in the exact week in the prior kharif period. Major kharif oilseeds – soyabean and groundnut – now surpassed the acreage which is regarded standard. When soyabean is planted above 119 lh, approximately 7 per cent extra than 111 lh coated in the exact week in the prior period, groundnut area has gone up by a sizeable forty one per cent to 49 lh as as opposed to exact time period past yr. This has pushed the oilseeds area to 187 lh, 14 per cent extra than 64 lh in the corresponding week in kharif 2019.

The increase in pulses acreage may be a marginal 2 per cent, but major pulses crops – arhar, moong and urad – have recorded an increase in planted area with moong and urad now surpassing the standard area of cropping. The total area less than pulses crops so much is 124 lh.

An increase in sown area of bajra and maize have resulted in coarse cereals recording a approximately 4 per cent growth above the prior kharif period. So much, coarse cereals have been planted above 168 lh as against 162 lh in the corresponding week past yr.

At one hundred twenty five lh, the area less than cotton far too is marginally better than that in the exact week in the prior yr.

The region as a entire has received 578 millimetres of rainfall in the present monsoon period, which is 2 per cent extra than the standard of 569 mm. The 123 reservoirs monitored by the Central Water Fee have cumulative storage which is 88 per cent of the exact in the corresponding week past yr.