Rabi sowing: Maharashtra set to cover 6.5 mn ha

Return rains have brightened the prospects for more area coming under rabi sowing in Maharashtra. The agriculture commissionarate has set a target of 6.25 million hectares to be covered under rabi sowing during the current year compared to 4.2 million hectares last year. The increase in area is expected in rabi jowar and gram.

Umakant Dangat, agriculture commissioner told Business Standard, “The normal area of the rabi season is 5.86 million hectares. The target fixed for the rabi 2012-13 is 6.25 million hectares. However, the expected rabi area will be 6.5 million hectares, which is more than the target area. The rains received in the last week of September and the first week of October are very useful for the sowing of rabi crops. The rainfall received in the first week of October is 107 per cent of the normal.” He said the sowing of rabi jowar, maize and gram was in progress while the sowing of wheat was yet to start.

According to the agriculture commissionerate, of the 5.86 million normal area of the rabi season, sowing has been done in 0.51 million hectares, which is nine per cent of sown area to normal area. The rabi sowing is eight per cent of the target of 6.25 million hectares. The unsown area of the kharif 2012 is 0.69 million hectares, which is expected to be sown in the rabi season.

Dangat said if the state receives further good rains in the return monsoon, the area under rabi jowar is expected to be 3.2 million hectares as it has been in 2008-09. The same would be the case in gram (1.4 million hectares).