Planting of key winter crops such as gram and rapeseed mustard has gained momentum. However, wheat coverage is trailing by about 6.5 lakh hectare at 58.25 lakh ha as on November 14 compared with the same period a year ago.

The delay in start of sugarcane crushing in States such as Uttar Pradesh has pushed back the planting of wheat, the key winter foodgrain crop.

Higher area

Among pulses, gram or chana has been planted on 57.43 lakh hectares (lh) against 47.42 lh in the same period a year ago. Similarly, the acreage of field pea is higher at 5.73 lh against last year’s 4.12 lh. However, uradand moong acreage has slipped to 1.04 lakh ha and 0.26 lh, respectively.

Coarse cereals such as jowar and maize have seen a lower coverage so far. Jowar acreage is estimated at 26.19 lh against 31.39 lh in the same period a year ago. Maize has been covered on 1.80 lh against last year’s 2.87 lh. However, the area under barley has shot up to 6.61 lh against last year’s 0.81 lh.

Rapeseed/mustard, the key winter oilseed crop, has been planted on 47.04 lh, about 10 lh more than the same period last year. Groundnut has been planted on 1.98 lh against 1.72 lh a year ago, while sunflower acreage is estimated at 2.45 lh against 2.44 lh. Sugarcane area is also lower at 1.02 lh against last year’s 2.55 lh.

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