Rabi sowing picks up in Gujarat

After a sluggish start, rabi sowing in Gujarat picked up in December. While until the end of November, the sowing was slow in the state, December saw a rise in acreage by 121 per cent of the annual average.

As on December 26, wheat was the most widely cultivated cereal as the crop covered over 13,00,000 hectares of cultivable land in the state "" up from 9,94,600 hectare for the corresponding period last year.

"The sowing season started late this year on account of delayed winter," said a senior official in the agriculture department.

As on November 30, the area sown under two other cereals - jowar and maize - also trailed by 34.88 per cent and 31.15 per cent respectively from the year ago level. This lag in acreage was primarily due to dry weather prevailing in most northern states of the country and absence of the required level of soil moisture.

"Coupled with this the state also faced a shortage of diammonium phosphate (DAP), a crucial nutrient required at the time of sowing. As on November 30, 28,000 hectares of land was brought under wheat cultivation while 42,000 hectares under maize cultivation," said a source.

State government sources, however, say maize sowing too picked up during December and was marginally up as compared with last year. The area under maize cultivation as on November 26 was 67,900 hectares as against 66,400 hectares in the corresponding period last year "" the average is 52,300 hectares.

Among pulses, gram accounted for 1.58 lakh hectares of cropped land in Gujarat as on November 29, 2007. Rapeseed and mustard were the only variety of oil seed sown in the state as on November 29, 2007. The crop was sown on 3.53 lakh hectares during the on-going rabi season. "There is not much difference in these crops in December," he said.