The area under pulses and rice continued to trail despite sowing of rabi crops gathering momentum.
Acreage
The total area under rabi crops is more than what it was during the same time last year. Rabi acreage stands at 421 lakh hectares (lh) so far compared with 419. 5 lh during the same period last year, according to the latest data from the Agriculture Ministry.
The area under most crops has increased year-on-year. Pulses sowing is still marginally lower on year. The acreage under pulses so far is 116.1 lh (117.1 lh).
The government has been banking on the rabi pulses crop to tide over the shortfall in kharif output due to erratic rains.
Foodgrains
Rice acreage was 1.09 lh against last year’s 1.45 lh.
Wheat has been sown on 187.35 lh (181.67 lh). Wheat acreage so far is higher than normal in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand, while it is lower than normal in Maharashtra, Uttarakhand, Gujarat, West Bengal, Karnataka and Haryana.
Oilseeds
Rabi oilseeds acreage is marginally higher on year’s at 71.9 lh against last year’s 71.4 lh.
Higher MSP and better soil moisture level in growing areas have resulted in higher coverage for oilseeds. Among oilseeds, mustard and groundnut sowing is higher.
Mustard has been planted over 60.5 lh so far, against 59.6 lh a year ago, while groundnut has been sown over 3,23,500 hectares compared with 2,83,300 hectares during the previous year.
coarse grains
Coverage of coarse grains so far stands at 48.1 lh (47.8 lh).
Storage in Reservoirs
Total live storage in 84 important reservoirs in different parts of the country, monitored by the Central Water Commission, as on December 6, stood at 98.9 billion cubic metres (64 per cent of the storage capacity at Full Reservoir Level).
The current year’s storage is nearly 91 per cent of last year’s storage and 106 per cent of the average of last ten years.
Out of 84 reservoirs, 53 reservoirs reported more than 80 per cent of normal storage and 31 reservoirs reported 80 per cent or below of normal storage.