The Government’s expectation of a good rabi crop season has received a setback with a lower acreage in wheat, rice and pulses in the ongoing winter season. The data from the Ministry of Agriculture showed that sowing area of wheat was down by 5.84 lakh hectare; pulses by 1.52 lakh hectare and rice by 2.25 lakh hectare so far in the ongoing 2021-22 rabi season.
The data showed that wheat has been sown was down by 1.71 per cent at 333.97 lakh hectares as compared to sown in 339.81 lakh hectare last year, a decline of 1.71 per cent so far as there was less coverage in Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Madhya Pradesh.
As per the data, area sown to wheat was less by 3.11 lakh hectares in Uttar Pradesh, 1.35 lakh hectares in Haryana, 1.20 lakh hectares in Maharashtra and 1.14 lakh hectares in Madhya Pradesh. Coverage of wheat was lower in Gujarat, Karnataka, West Bengal, Punjab, Jammu & Kashmir, Jharkhand and Uttarakhand as well in the said period.
However, higher area under wheat was reported from Rajasthan (1.96 lakh hectares), Bihar (0.68 lakh hectares), Chhattisgarh (0.09 lakh hectares and Assam (0.01 lakh hectares) in the same period, the data showed.
Officials said delayed monsoon withdrawal and shifting of crops by farmers may be the reason behind less sowing area of wheat and other rabi crops.
Sowing of rabi (winter) crops like wheat begins in October and harvesting from April onwards. Much of the wheat sowing has been completed so far.
In case of pulses, coverage remained flat at 156.23 lakh hectares so far this rabi season as against 157.75 lakh hectares in the year-ago period. Out of which gram coverage along stood at 109.44 lakh hectares in the said period.
Area sown to rice also remained lower at 16.44 lakh hectares as on December 7 this rabi season as against 18.69 lakh hectares in the year-ago period. Coarse-cum-nutri cereals coverage too was slightly lower at 46.68 lakh hectares as against 48.32 lakh hectares in the said period, the data showed.
In fact area under oilseeds rose to 98.85 lakh hectares as on December 7 this rabi season from 81.66 lakh hectares in the year-ago period. Out of which, rapeseed and mustard seed coverage alone was at 89.71 lakh hectares in the said period. This is a good sign considering the country’s heavy dependence on imports for edible oils.