Wheat sowing picks up; acreage up 20 pc so far

Wheat sowing has started picking up as the acreage under the crop rose by 20 per cent to 15.19 lakh hectares so far in the ongoing rabi (winter) season, but pulses and oilseeds area was lagging behind the corresponding year-ago period, the agriculture ministry said Friday.

Sowing of rabi crops begins from October and harvesting from March. Wheat is the main rabi crop.

Wheat was sown in 12.65 lakh hectares in the year-ago.

According to the ministry's latest data, maximum increase in wheat sowing was reported from Madhya Pradesh, where farmers have planted the crop in 6 lakh hectares so far this season, much higher than 2.17 lakh hectares in the year-ago period.

Wheat acreage in Punjab remained at 4.68 lakh hectares and Uttar Pradesh at 1.73 lakh hectares so far this season.

However, pulses sowing has not picked up as the area under the crop remained lower at 28.22 per cent at 39.05 lakh hectares so far this season as against 54.34 lakh hectares in the same period last season.

Pulses acreage remained lower in all major producing states. In Karnataka, the acreage under pulses remained lower sharply at 5.52 lakh hectares as against 11.28 lakh hectares, while that of in Madhya Pradesh at 12.26 lakh hectares as against 17.62 lakh hectares in the said period.

Pulses area remained lower even in Uttar Pradesh at 5.31 lakh hectares so far this season as against 7.47 lakh hectares in the year-ago period, while that of in Rajashtan stood at 5.29 lakh hectares compared to 6.65 lakh hectares in the said period, the data showed.

Similarly, the area under oilseeds remained lower at 37.09 lakh hectares as against 40.86 lakh hectares, while that of coarse cereals at 14.14 lakh hectares as against 22.65 lakh hectares in the said period.

Rice area too was lower at 5.24 lakh hectares so far this season as against 7.66 lakh hectare in the year-ago period.

In total, area covered under all rabi crops remained lower at 110.71 lakh hectares so far this rabi season when compared with 138.16 lakh hectares in the same period last season.