Groundnut production to dip from Guj

Groundnut production from Gujarat, a major producing state, is projected to dip this year due to a change in crop sowing pattern during kharif season and erratic rainfall, industry experts said.

"Present condition of the crop in Saurasthra region is good. We advised the farmers to use life saving irrigation till the arrival of rains and many of them have started using drip irrigation facility or sprinklers," said VD Khanpara, faculty member, Department of Agronomy, Junagadh Agriculture University.

"If it does not rains in the next 15 days, then chances of crop failure are high where farmers don't have an alternative irrigation facility," he added. The acreage under major oil seed crop of Kharif groundnut has dipped to 16.56 lakh hectares as compared to sowing done in 17.73 lakh hectares last year uptill July 2008, state agirculture department official said.

"Acreage under groundnut this year is even less than three years average of 17.52 lakh hectares," agriculture department official said adding "sowing is still underway and we expect the situation to improve."

According to Convenor of crop estimate committee Central Organisation for Oil Industry and Trade (COOIT) G G Patel, area covered under groundnut in Gujarat this Kharif has dipped nearly by two lakh hectares as crop in one lakh hectare has been washed away.