Wheat sowing down by 5.38 pc so far

Area sown to wheat is lagging behind by 5.38 per cent at 300.70 lakh hectares so far in the 2017-18 rabi season, according to the latest data by the agriculture ministry.
Sowing of rabi (winter) crops begins from October, while harvesting starts from March. Wheat, the main rabi crop, was sown in 317.82 lakh hectares in the year-ago period.
Besides wheat, area sown to oilseeds was lower at 80.29 lakh hectares so far in the rabi season of this year, as against 84.44 lakh hectares in the same period last year.
According to the ministry's data, coarse cereals acreage was also slightly lower at 56.27 lakh hectares as against 57.23 lakh hectares in the said period.

However, area sown to pulses was higher at 166.47 lakh hectares so far in the current rabi season as against 158.02 lakh hectares in the year-ago period.
Rice acreage was also higher at 28.61 lakh hectares as against 24.21 lakh hectares.
Total area sown to all rabi crops was lower at 632.34 lakh hectares so far in the current rabi season as against 641.72 lakh hectares in the year-ago period, the data showed.