Sowing of rabi crops improves in North; reservoir levels stay low in South

Sowing of rabi crops such as gram and mustard picked up pace during the week ended November 11 even as water levels in major reservoirs of southern India remained down.

Data shows that water levels in the 40-odd reservoirs of southern India as on November 9 was at 44 per cent of their live capacity at Full Reservoir Levels (FRL).

The same during the corresponding period of last year was at 89 percent while the 10-year average was at 76 percent of FRL.

Meanwhile, the sowing data showed that chana has planted in around 4.14 million hectares till Friday as against 4.19 million hectares planted during the same period of last year. Mustard has been sown in around 5.71 million hectares, which is higher than the 5.68 million hectares planted during the same period last year.

Chana and mustard are the main pulses and oilseeds crops grown during the rabi season.

The sowing data for wheat, which is the main cereal grown during the rabi season, wasn't released this week.

Traders and market players said that wheat sowing and also for other crops will pick up pace once the kharif crops are harvested fully, namely paddy in Punjab and Haryana and sugarcane in UP.

Yesterday, a government source said that till a few days back, paddy harvesting was 60 per cent complete in Punjab while it is 90 percent complete in neighboring Haryana.