Rabi acreage likely to rise by 30 lakh hectares

NEW DELHI: Planting in the rabi season is targeted to exceed last year's coverage by 30 lakh hectares (LH) at 532.94 LH, compared with 502.87 LH in the year-ago period, as the country braces up to make up for a shortfall of about 20-30 LH in the kharif acreage this year.

Areas under wheat are targeted to rise by three LH to 285 LH, pulses by 15 LH to 137.16 LH, maize by five LH to 16.28 LH and Jowar by seven LH to 50.62 LH in the rabi season, Agriculture Commissioner N B Singh said here at a function today.

However, paddy acreage is likely to remain stable at 43.88 LH.

The foodgrain production in the rabi season has remained almost stagnant since 1998-99 and stood at 109.70 million tonnes last year though kharif output has shot up by over 18 million tonnes to 120.97 million tonnes during this period, Singh said.

However, expecting good prospects for crops in the rabi season, the commissioner said delayed withdrawal of monsoon has improved soil moisture throughout the country.

Pulses and oilseed area can be increased substantially, while the country needs to be prepared for early sowing of rabi crops in central and western India, he added.

However, in certain regions, excess moisture may delay rabi sowing and cause seedling mortality, he said.

Addressing the function, Agriculture Secretary T Nand Kumar said the country needs to bridge the decline in the kharif coverage in the rabi season.

"We have lost about 20-30 lakh hectares in kharif season, which we will have to make up for in rabi period," he said.