Wheat sowing completed with higher coverage
The Department of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare has released the progress of area coverage under rabi crops as on 19th January 2024. According to the data, wheat, the main rabi crop, has been sown in 340.08 lakh hectares, which is higher than the 337.50 lakh hectares in the same period last year. Wheat sowing has been completed in most of the states, with Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, and Punjab having the maximum area under wheat cultivation.
Pulses and paddy lag behind
The data also showed that pulses and paddy, two important rabi crops, have lagged behind in terms of area coverage compared to the previous year. Pulses have been sown in 155.13 lakh hectares, down from 162.66 lakh hectares last year. The area under gram, urad and moong, which are major pulses crops, has remained lower than the previous year. Paddy acreage has also declined to 28.25 lakh hectares from 29.33 lakh hectares last year.
Coarse cereals and oilseeds show improvement
On the other hand, coarse cereals and oilseeds have shown improvement in area coverage compared to the previous year. Coarse cereals have been sown in 53.83 lakh hectares, up from 50.77 lakh hectares last year. The area under jowar, maize and barley, which are major coarse cereals crops, has increased from the previous year. Oilseeds have been sown in 109.88 lakh hectares, slightly higher than the 108.82 lakh hectares last year. The area under rapeseed & mustard, which is the main oilseed crop in rabi season, has increased to 100.15 lakh hectares from 97.88 lakh hectares last year.
Total rabi crops area slightly lower
Due to the lag in pulses and paddy coverage, the overall area under all rabi crops has remained slightly lower at 687.18 lakh hectares as on 19th January 2024, compared to 689.09 lakh hectares in the same period last year. The sowing of other rabi crops is almost completed and the weekly data is being updated after taking into account the details from some states which sent the data late.