Deficient rain in June takes toll on pulses sowing in Odisha

Deficient rain in June has hit the sowing of pulses in Odisha with the area under coverage dropping more than 45 per cent with the Kharif season just kicking off.
 
Against 4,174 hecatres brought under the sowing of pulses last year, this year only 2,270 hectares was covered due to delay in sowing by farmers.
 
Odisha has set a target to bring 1.09 million hectares under pulses sowing. The output target of pulses during the crop season of 2018-19 has been set at 0.67 million tonne, including 0.218 million tonne of Arhar and 0.166 million tonne of Mung.

 

Rice production is expected at 8.58 million tonne with productivity of 2,450 kilogram per hectare spread over of 3.5 million hectares.
 
Other cereals include 0.961 million tonne of maize and 0.143 million tonne of Ragi with a yield of 3,005 kg and 895 kg per hectare, respectively.
 
The sowing of cereals in the state is slightly low at 158,420 hectares compared to 160,882 hectares last year.
 
“Farmers in the state have delayed the sowing of pulses owing to deficient rain. We are expecting rain only after June 25,” said an expert from the Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology.

 
Heat wave conditions have prevailed over many parts of the state.
 
The Southwest monsoon is likely to cover the entire Odisha between June 23 and June 25, according to the Met department. Anticipating normal monsoon, the Odisha government has set a target of producing 10 million tonne of food grain in during this year’s Kharif season. The sowing of Kharif starts with the onset of monsoon.
 
According to the plan, the Kharif production target will involve 5.11 million hectares with a yield rate of 2,030 kilogram per hectare.