Rabi crops acreage jumps by 7 per cent in just a week: Ministry

NEW DELHI: The acreage under rabi crops increased by 7 per cent in the last one week, data from the agriculture ministry shows. Till Friday, rabi crop planting was completed on 554.91 lakh hectares, up from 519.27 lakh hectares at the end of the previous week. For the year till December 23, acreage under rabi crops, including wheat, pulses and oilseeds, is 6 per cent more than a year ago when it was 523.40 lakh hectares.

Rabi planting is expected to continue till the month's end. The government has set a rabi-season crop planting target of 638.37 lakh hectares.

So far, 87 per cent of it has been completed. The area under pulses, oilseeds and wheat, too, are higher than the previous year's, while 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 95.34 billion cubic metres of water, 26 per cent more than a year ago, suggesting better availability of water for winter crops. The water level, however, was 2 per cent less than the 10-year average.

Wheat planting has marginally fallen in Gujarat and Jammu and Kashmir, but increased in Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Rajasthan, the ministry said. Planting increased largely in gram (chana), lentil (masoor) and field pea (lobia) pulses, while that in kulthi, urad bean and moong bean fell. In oilseeds, mustard was the predominant crop, with acreage 10 per cent higher than last year's 68.22 lakh hectares. Higher area coverage was reported from Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan. Meanwhile, in coarse cereals -jowar, maize, and barley -the acreage fell with more farmers opting for pulses and oilseeds due to better remunerative prices.