Rabi sowing over in 91% normal area, acreage 1.43% higher, shows data

Rabi sowing has covered 91% of the normal area so far, with total acreage 1.4% higher than last year, led by gains in wheat, mustard and pulses, official data shows

The sowing of rabi crops was complete in 91 per cent of the normal area during the week ended December 19, and overall acreage was marginally above than the corresponding period last year. According to data, rabi crops have been sown in around 58.07 million hectares till December 19, a 1.43 per cent increase over last year. 

This area is also around 9 per cent lower than the normal acreage of rabi crops, which is 64 million hectares — this gap is expected to be bridged in the coming days. The area covered under wheat, mustard and pulses were all higher than last year till last week, according to the data.