Sowing operations please as rain gods smile

The sowing operations in the state so far have been satisfactory owing to the better than normal rains across the state till the end of third week of June.

As of June 20, 2011, sowing has been completed over an area of 1.43 million hectares. This is a growth of 3.2 per cent over the normal sowing of 1.38 million hectares for the period in the state. Sowing was above normal in 16 districts, normal across six districts, below normal in six districts and negligible in two districts.

From June 1 to 24, the state as a whole recorded an actual amount of 160 mm of rainfall as against the normal rainfall of 137 mm, a 17 per cent higher departure compared to the normal rainfall. This is considered better than the corresponding period of last three years by the Meteorological department.

 

According to data available with the state department of agriculture, the sowing under food grains was completed on about 709,000 hectares, which is about 14 per cent of the total target of 5.15 million hectares for the present kharif.

The sowing for cash crops was completed on about 525,000 hectares, which is about 56 per cent of the target of 933,000 hectares for the kharif. The are under oilseeds was done on about 197,000 hectares, which is barely 14 per cent of the target of 1.37 million hectares for the present kharif.

However, compared to the same peri od last year, the

coverage was less by 100,000 hectares. The coverage by the crops under cereals as on this date is less than the coverage of last year and than the normal coverage by 21,000 hectares and 53,000 hectares respectively.

The sowing for cereals has been completed in over 487,000 hectares as on June 20, 2011, which is about 14 per cent of the total target of 3.49 million hectares for the kharif. The coverage by the crops under cereals as on this date is less than the coverage of last year by 21,000 hectares.

At the same time, sowing for pulses was completed in about 222,000 hectares, showing coverage of 13 per cent of the target of 1.66 million hectares this year. The coverage is less than the last year coverage by 74,000 hectares.

In case of cash crops, farmers have brought over 307,000 hectares under sugarcane, which is 2.3 times over the normal coverage of 128,000 hectares for the period.

Among horticulture crops, sowing, intercultivation, land preparation, nursery bed preparation and transplanting operations are under progress in the major potato, onion, tomato and chilly-growing districts.

Meanwhile, the state is facing a shortage of fertiliser for the present kharif season. The state is falling short of various types of fertiliser in the ongoing kharif season on account of the Centre’s failure to ensure the supply of monthly quota of micronutrients.

The Centre has not allocated the monthly quota of fertiliser to the state in April, May and June. In June, it supplied 186,750 tonnes of DAP and NPK to the state against the requirement of 205,100 tonnes, leaving a shortage of 18,350 tonnes.

Minister for Agriculture Umesh V Katti, who recently met Union Minister for Agriculture Sharad Pawar, urged him to instruct manufacturers to supply the full quantity of micronutrients as per the allocation made by the Centre.