Monsoon rains push up kharif sowing in Rajasthan to nearly 70% of target

Monsoon rains over the past week have pushed up the kharif sowing in the state to nearly 70 per cent of the target.

According to the agriculture department, sowing has been done on 1.14 million hectares till the first week of July against the kharif 2023 target of 1.64 million hectares.

Agriculture and allied sectors contribute around 25 per cent to the state’s gross domestic product (GDP).

Rajasthan contributes around 42 per cent to the country’s total bajra production and 45 per cent to mustard, 17 per cent to sesame, 19 per cent to groundnut, 20 per cent to chana, 13 per cent to jawar, and around 85 per cent to guar. 

In the financial year 2021–22, the total production of fruits was 956,000 tonnes, while that of the vegetables stood at 2.37 million tonnes (mt), spices (1.04 mt), food grains and pulses (25.4 mt) and oilseeds (10 mt).

While giving information on kharif 2023, an agriculture department official said sowing of paddy had been done on 139,000 hectares (66.2 per cent) of the target of 210,000 hectares.

While jowar has been sown on 80 per cent, bajra has been sown on 84.7 per cent, maize on 85 per cent, jowar on 80 per cent, bajra on 84.7 per cent against the target of 4.4 million, and sowing of maize has been done on 85 per cent.

Jaipur-based All Rajasthan Trade and Industry Association has written to Agriculture Minister Lalchand Katariya requesting him to encourage the farmers to sow more millets as the monsoon has been good so far this year.

The trade body said the target of sowing of bajra should be at least 6 million hectares instead of 4.4 million hectares and maize on 1.5 hectares instead of 950,000 hectares, and jowar’s sowing area should be 1 million hectares instead of 620,000 hectares.