India’s kharif rice sowing up 19% so far, thanks to good rains

Among cash crops, cotton planting has risen by 11.29 per cent to 121.25 lakh hectares so far in the current kharif season of the 2020-21 crop year (July-June) from 108.95 lakh hectares in the year-ago period. 

Area sown to rice, the main kharif crop, has increased by 19 per cent to 266.60 lakh hectares so far across the country in the current kharif season on account of good rains, the agriculture ministry said on Friday. Among cash crops, cotton planting has risen by 11.29 per cent to 121.25 lakh hectares so far in the current kharif season of the 2020-21 crop year (July-June) from 108.95 lakh hectares in the year-ago period.

Sowing of kharif crops begins with the onset of southwest monsoon from June, while harvesting from October onwards.

“There has been satisfactory progress of sowing area coverage under Kharif crops. …so, as a whole, there is no impact of COVID-19 on progress of area coverage under kharif crops as on date,” the ministry said releasing the latest sowing data of kharif crops. It also said that the Centre is taking several measures to facilitate the farmers and farming activities at field level during the COVID-19 pandemic.

As per the data, higher rice planting area has been reported in states of Bihar (10.01 lakh hectares) followed by Madhya Pradesh (8.19 lakh hectares), Jharkhand (7.50 lakh hectares), West Bengal (4.60 lakh hectares), Uttar Pradesh (4.57 lakh hectares), Odisha (4.01 lakh hectares), Chhattisgarh (3.90 lakh hectares) and Telangana (3.28 lakh hectares).

Pulses sowing has increased by 19.26 per cent to 111.91 lakh hectares area till August 31 of the ongoing kharif season compared to 93.84 lakh hectares in the year-ago period. Area sown to moong has increased by 37.42 per cent to 29.57 lakh hectares from 21.52 lakh hectares, while that of urad by 21 per cent to 33.38 lakh hectares from 27.64 lakh hectares and arhar area increased by 8 per cent to 40.05 lakh hectares from 37.09 lakh hectares in the said period.

Higher area under pulses has been reported from Rajasthan (5.25 lakh hectares) followed by Madhya Pradesh (3.79 lakh hectares), Maharashtra (3.43 lakh hectares) and Uttar Pradesh (1.16 lakh hectares) so far this season, the data showed.

Coarse cereals acreage rose 6.52 per cent to 148.34 lakh hectares so far this kharif season from 139.26 lakh hectares in the year-ago period. Maize acreage rose 2.36 per cent to 74.30 lakh hectares from 72.58 lakh hectares in the said period.

In case of oilseeds, the sowing area rose by 16.80 per cent to 175.34 lakh hectares so far in the current kharif season from 150.12 lakh hectares in the year-ago period. Soyabean area rose by 8.35 per cent to 116.62 lakh hectares from 107.64 per cent in the said period.

In case of sugarcane, the area coverage rose to 51.78 lakh hectares so far in the current kharif season as compared to 51.20 lakh hectares during the corresponding period last year. Total area under all kharif crops rose 13.92 per cent to 882.18 lakh hectares of area against 774.38 lakh hectares in the said period.

The ministry said the actual rainfall received in the country was 447.1 mm in June-August period as against the normal of 443.3 mm. The Central Water Commission (CWC) has reported that the live water storage in 123 reservoirs in different parts of the country was 141 per cent of the corresponding period of the last year.