Good rains and higher sowing acreage augur well for a good kharif crop in Madhya Pradesh this year as well. That is as good as it gets for a State where over 49 per cent of the land is cultivable and where over 74 per cent of the population depends on agriculture.

Till July 22, the State had received 50 per cent more rainfall than normal (474.4 mm, against the normal of 316.8 mm) fuelling hopes of a bumper kharif crop. Though in Dhar, Alirajpur, Badwani and Burhanpur districts rainfall has been reported less than normal, in 37 districts it has been more than normal. Rainfall has been close to normal in Debas, Anooppur, Jhabua, Umaria, Indore, Khargone, Harda, Hoshangabad and Balaghat districts. So the cumulative effect has been good across the State, according to projections by the State Agricultural Department.

Sowing progress

According to figures compiled by the department till July 22, the area targeted for kharif sowing this year is 112.06 lakh hectares, 0.23 lakh hectares more than last year's 111.82 lakh hectares. Sowing has been completed in 87.4 per cent of the targeted area with major kharif crops such as , paddy, soyabean, maize, moong, urad, bajra, tur and cotton.

Soyabean (the State produces 85 per cent of the country's output) has been sown on an area of 54.77 lakh hectares against the targeted 58 lakh hectares, which means that 97.8 per cent of the target area has already been sown. Soyabean production is expected to jump this year as the target area this year is much more than last year's 50.75 lakh hectares.

Paddy, targeted to be sown in 15.2 lakh hectares, has been sown on 8.44 lakh hectares, or 55.5 percent of the targeted area. The area under paddy this year has declined from last year's 16.25 lakh hectares. Pulses, however, look up as the area targeted to be sown is 11.90 lakh hectares, 2.39 lakh hectares more than the area sown last year. According to the Agriculture Department officials, the State is expected to yield a good crop of pulses this year owing to good rainfall and adequate supply of seeds and fertilisers.

Among other kharif crops, maize has been sown in 91 per cent of the targeted area, or 8.1 lakh hectares, jowar has been sown in 3.6 lakh hectares, 87.7 per cent of the target area, tur in 4.27 lakh hectares, roughly 95 per cent of the target area, urad in 5.12 lakh hectares, 85.3 per cent of the target area, groundnut in 1.97 lakh hectares, which is 98.3 percent of the target area, and cotton in 6.42 lakh hectares, 98. 7 per cent of the target area.

How regions fare

Among sowing regions, Bhopal division tops with 97. 7 per cent of the sowing completed. It is followed by Gwalior division, where 96.3 per cent sowing has been done. Ujjain has recorded sowing in 95 per cent of the target area, Narmadapuram in 94.7 per cent, Chambal division in 91 per cent, Indore in 86.7 per cent, Sagar in 80.7 per cent and Jabalpur division in only 69.7 per cent. With only 59.7 per cent of the target area sown so far, Shahdol division sits at the bottom.

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