The State Agriculture Department has set sowing target in 17 lakh hectares of land for Rabi season 2015-16.
The crops being taken up for sowing are food grains, oilseeds, pulses and vegetables.
Before Diwali, sowing was completed in an estimated 2.35 lakh hectares which is 14 per cent of the overall sowing target, officials stated.
Agriculture Minister Brijmohan Agrawal stated that a target of sowing food grain crops in 3.50 lakh hectares had been set in which 1.60 lakh hectares would be for wheat, one lakh hectares for paddy and 85,000 hectares for maize.
Before Diwali, sowing was completed in 910 hectares of land for wheat and 3,610 hectares for maize, he said.
Notably, the Agriculture Department has started encouraging the farmers to sow more of pulses crop in Rabi season 2015-16.
As per the given target, 3.60 lakh hectares have been marked for sowing gram, 30,000 hectares for lentils, 30,000 hectares for moong, 15,000 hectares for urad, 40,000 hectares for kulthi and 3.50 lakh hectares have been marked for sowing Tivra crop.
The Agriculture Minister informed that two lakh hectares of area have been finalized for oilseeds crops and necessary preparations are underway.
This includes 1.50 lakh hectares for mustard, 70,000 hectares for Alsi, 10,000 hectares for Kusum, 15,000 hectares for sunflower, 5,000 hectares for sesame and and 25 hectares of land for sowing peanuts.
He informed that this year, the Department has planned to utilize 1.65 lakh hectares of land for cultivation of vegetables in summer season. This includes 35,000 hectares for sugarcane cultivation.
Notably, there had been an increase of 20 per cent in Maize crop acreage in Chhattisgarh during the past 10 years.
Maize is the second-most sought after crop after paddy preferred by farmers in Chhattisgarh. The crop is used in cornflakes, oil extraction, starch, making popcorn, organic fuel and for many other purposes, officials stated.
Maize is mainly produced in Bastar district's 'Patar' region (Plateau area) and Surguja's hilly terrain during the Kharif season. It is grown in these areas in the courtyard for the past several generations. The tribal farmers grow Maize and shift to taking up oil seeds crops.