High kharif sowing in UP, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, while Punjab registers decline
After returning of migrants in April and May ahead of the onset of monsoon due to the nationwide lockdown, Bihar, Chhattisgarh and Uttar Pradesh have witnessed a record sowing of kharif crops so far. Interestingly, the area sown in Punjab is estimated to have declined due to lack of farm labourers.
According to Agriculture Ministry’s data, the area under kharif crops increased by 88 per cent over to 433 lakh hectares till Friday as against 230 lakh hectares in the corresponding week last year.
Due to good rainfall and adequate farm labourers, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Chhattisgarh have witnessed a record sowing of kharif crops so far. The Ministry’s data showed that the area sown in Bihar is estimated 5.11 lakh hectare as against 1.17 lakh hectare last years during the same period. Similarly, Uttar Pradesh has witnessed kharif crops plantation of 5.96 lakh hectare as against the 1.52 lakh hectare last year.
Both these States have faced influx of migrant workers during the lockdown period. UP and Bihar that accounted for nearly 75 per cent of trains ferrying migrants back received 1,723 and 1,680 shramik trains respectively.
Similarly, Chhattisgarh which also saw migrants’ influx, reported 13.40 lakh hectare kharif crops sowing compared to 4.38 lakh hectare last year. As per the Ministry’s data, farmers have planted paddy over 68 lakh hectare so far as compared to 49.2 lakh hectares last year.
Punjab has reported decline in kharif crops sowing due to shortage of farm labourers in the State. The area sown in the State is estimated 15.40 lakh hectare as compared to 21.07 lakh hectare last year. Big farmers have managed to bring back labourers from Bihar and UP while the small and marginal farmers are finding difficult in the absence of labourers during the kharif sowing season.
The Ministry’s data showed 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 lakh hectares and 29 lakh hectares as compared to 8.5 lakh hectares and 1 lakh hectares, respectively, during the corresponding period the total area under soyabean cultivation zoomed 225 per cent to 109 lakh hectares.
Similarly, Gujarat, which planted groundnut over 16.3 lakh hectares as against 10 lakh hectares, accounted for most of the increase in groundnut planting, which went up by 60 per cent to 25 lakh hectares.
The area under pulses crops, too, registered a whopping 289 per cent increase to nearly 37 lakh hectares 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 lakh hectare from 2.8 lakh hectare 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 lakh hectares and 9.4 lakh hectares, respectively. Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh reported maximum increase in pulses sowing so far.
As per the data, there is also a 100 per cent jump in cotton planting to 91.7 lakh hectares with Maharashtra and Telangana planting cotton over 33 lakh hectares (4.6 lakh hectares) and 15 lakh hectare (7.9 lakh hectare), respectively.
Almost 96 per cent increase in maize sowing to 45.6 lakh hectares pulled up the area under coarse cereals to 70.7 lakh hectare, which was 101 per cent more than 35.2 lakh hectare 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.
