Record wheat acreage takes rabi sowing beyond 64 million hectares

According to data released by the Agriculture Ministry, the total planted area in the current rabi season reached to 641 lakh hectares with the wheat witnessing a record area of 330 lakh hectares. This is 8.6 per cent more than that sown in the corresponding period last year.

“The maximum wheat sown area in the past was a little over 320 lakh hectares. That way this a record of sorts. And the crop condition this year is very good,” said Mr RK Sharma, Principal Scientist at the Karnal-based Indian Institute of Wheat and Barley Institute, a lab under the aegis of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research.

Madhya Pradesh has sown wheat over an area of 78 lakh hectares, which is about 19 lakh hectares more than the last year, Gujarat, Rajasthan and Maharashtra planted wheat over an additional area of 5.6 lakh hectares, 4.5 lakh hectares and 3.86 lakh hectares, respectively, over the corresponding week last year.

The pulses planted by farmers were over an area of 157 lakh hectares compared to 150 lakh hectares in the same week last year. Maharashtra witnessed most increase, which added about 7.74 lakh hectares area under pulses, followed by Rajasthan (6.35 lakh hectares) and Gujarat (2.16 lakh hectares) whereas Madhya Pradesh planted nearly 9 lakh hectares less under pulses.

Coarse cereals also witnessed an increase by 13.5 per cent to over 53 lakh hectares. The coarse cereals acreage in the corresponding week last rabi season was less than 47 lakh hectares. The much of the increase was in Jowar plantation, which has been planted over an additional area of 4.65 lakh hectares.

Although, mustard planting is a little lower than last year's 69.28 lakh hectares, the total area under oilseeds moved increased with a marginally higher groundnut acreage.

Till this week, oilseeds had been sown on 79.25 lakh hectares. Rice transplanting in Telangana and Tamil Nadu were 2.56 lakh hectares and 1.4 lakh hectares higher than the corresponding week last year, respectively, taking the total area under rice cultivation to 21.41 lakh hectares, more than 18 per cent higher than the last winter season.

Disclaimer: This information has been collected through secondary research and IBEF is not responsible for any errors in the same.