Rabi crop acreage rises by 5% in just a week

NEW DELHI: The acreage under winter crops has increased by 5% in the last one week to cover 91% of arable land, data from the agriculture ministry shows.

Till Friday, rabi crop planting was completed on 582.87 lakh hectares, up from 554.91lakh hectares at the end of the previous week. For the year till December 30, acreage under rabi crops, including wheat, pulses and oilseeds, was 7% more than a year ago when it was 545.46 lakh hectares.

Rabi planting is expected to continue till the month’s end. The government has set a rabiseason crop planting target of 638.37 lakh hectares.

The area under pulses, oilseeds and wheat, too, is higher than the previous year’s, while the area under coarse cereals and rice plantation is less.

According to the Central Water Commission, which monitors 91 major reservoirs in the country, the levels in key reservoirs are higher than a year ago. The reservoirs collectively held 92.586 billion cubic metres of water, 26% more than a year ago, suggesting better availability of water for winter crops. The water level, however, was 2% less than the 10-year average.

The acreage under wheat planting is 8% higher than the previous year but in Gujarat and Jammu & Kashmir it has decreased marginally. In Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Rajasthan the area under planting saw an increase, the ministry said.

Planting increased largely in gram (chana), lentil (masoor), field pea (lobia), urad bean and moong bean pulses, while that in kulthi fell.

In oilseeds, mustard was the predominant crop, with acreage 13% higher than last year’s 68.93 lakh hectares.

Meanwhile, in coarse cereals — jowar, maize, and barley — the acreage has fallen with more farmers opting for pulses and oilseeds due to better remunerative prices. Acreage of jowar, which has the largest sown area under coarse cereals at 30.62 lakh hectares, has seen a 16% drop in planting over the previous year. The area under bajra, barley and maize is, however, more than the previous year.