Fog may hit quality of wheat, jeera

Wheat and jeera (cumin seed) crops in Gujarat are likely to take a hit in Gujarat. Unstable and foggy weather conditions may impact the quality of both these crops.

Cold weather is must for wheat and jeera crops. However, the weather is not turning out to be favourable for the crops. The months of November and December are crucial for wheat and jeera crops. The weather is not cold enough to support the crops, said agriculturists.

“One can witness two different seasons in a day, foggy weather in morning and hot waves in a day time. It is an important stage for Rabi crops, especially wheat and jeera. Foggy weather conditions may hit the quality of wheat and jeera, if not the production,” said B K Kikani, vice-chancellor, Junagadh Agriculture University.

As per the data available with the Rajkot district agriculture department, wheat and jeera acreage has risen 15-20 per cent in Saurashtra and Kutch regions this year. As on date, the area under wheat cultivation in Rajkot, Jamnagar, Surendranagar, Junagadh, Amreli, Bhavnagar, Porbandar and Kutch is 111,021 hectares, 38,750 hectares, 57,920 hectares, 207,775 hectares, 34,350 hectares, 18,575 hectares, 1,150 hectares and 20,075 hectares respectively.

Similarly, jeera acreage is estimated to be 34,604 hectares, 32,525 hectares, 111,740 hectares, 18,220 hectares, 7,767 hectares, 2,664 hectares, 25,800 hectares and 7,771 hectares in Rajkot, Jamnagar, Surendranagar, Junagadh, Amreli, Bhavnagar, Porbandar and Kutch respectively.