With a coverage of about 10 lakh hectares (lh) in the past week, the overall acreage of rabi crops reached 644.29 lh as of January 9, which is 2.8 per cent higher than 626.64 lh a year ago. The area has exceeded the winter season’s average 637.81 lh, the government said on Monday.
Wheat acreage seem have been completed with no progress reported in the past week as acreage remained at 334.17 lh, same as on January 2. Last year, the acreage of wheat was at a record high of 328.04 lh which also led to a new high in production of 117.94 million tonnes (mt).
The government has fixed a target of 171.14 mt of foodgrains for the rabi season, including 119 mt of wheat, 15.86 mt of rice, 16.57 mt of pulses, 3.17 mt of nutri-cereals, 14.5 mt of maize and 2.05 mt of barley, as well as 15.07 mt of oilseeds (including 13.9 mt of mustard).
Favourable weather
Karnal-based Indian Institute of Wheat and Barley Research (IIWBR) has earlier said that favourable weather conditions are supporting vegetative growth and tillering of wheat.
“Urea is a key fertilizer applied more at growing phase. The first irrigation to wheat was already completed in December when first dose of urea was applied. Now, the second irrigation is due and the second dose of urea is must. It is good news that urea is being made available, let’s hope for the bumper harvest of wheat,” said former agriculture commissioner JS Sandhu.According to sowing data, pulses’ acreage was 136.36 lh against 132.61 lh a year ago (up by 2.8 per cent); the area under chana (gram) was 95.88 lh against 91.22 lh, up by 5.1 per cent, and masur (lentil) acreage was 18.12 lh against 17.66 lh. There is no change in area under chana since December 26 which indicates the sowing is complete now.
Jowar coverage trails
Oilseeds’ acreage was 96.86 lh, up by 3.8 per cent from 93.33 lh. It included coverage of 89.36 lh under mustard, which is 3.2 per cent more than 86.57 lh a year ago, data showed.
The sowing area under rabi paddy is now 11.4 per cent higher at 21.71 lh from 19.49 lh and maize 7.4 per cent more at 25.24 lh from 23.49 lh. Barley acreage is complete and this year it is 21.1 per cent more at 7.36 lh from 6.08 lh last year, whereas its normal area is 5.63 lh.
The winter-grown jowar acreage reached at 21.36 lh against 22.66 lh a year ago, down by 5.7 per cent. The total acreage under nutri or coarse cereals reached 55.20 lh, 3.8 per cent higher from 53.17 lh.
