As possibility of deficient monsoon looms, farmers sow more ‘Shri Anna’

Farmers seem to be planting more millets or “Shri Anna”, responding to the possibility of deficient rainfall this year. The sowing of paddy, key cereal of kharif season, pulses and some oilseeds are lower from the year-ago level. The area under cotton and groundnut, which are higher, may be disrupted as normal life in key producer Gujarat has been affected due to cyclone Biparjoy.

The total area under kharif-sown crops is up 1.5 per cent at 99.28 lakh hectares (lh) as of June 16 against 97.83 lh in the corresponding period a year ago, official data on the Agriculture Ministry portal show. Sugarcane, cotton and bajra continue to report higher area as was last week, but maize acreage has marginally dropped.

On the other hand, data from the Central Water Commission showed the storage level in the 146 major reservoirs in the country was 27 per cent of the total live storage capacity of 178.185 billion cubic metres (BCM). This was two percentage points lower than the same period a year ago but higher than the normal level.

Monsoon’s progress

Sowing activities are set to pick up next week, particularly in those States where the monsoon is expected to lash, Agriculture Ministry officials said.

Releasing the outlook for next fortnight, India Meteorological Department said conditions are becoming favourable for further advancement of South-West monsoon over some more parts of south peninsular and east India during June 18-21. Monsoon progress has not been noticed since June 11 and currently Northern Limit of Monsoon (NLM) continues to pass through Ratnagiri, Koppal, Puttaparthi, Shriharikota, Malda, and Forbesganj.

Acreage of paddy, the main kharif cereal, is down 14.6 per cent at 5.32 lh, while all pulses combined were 57.3 per cent lower at 1.80 lh and oilseeds acreage was 14.4 per cent lower at 4.11 lh. The sowing area under nutri- and coarse cereals, however, was reported 64.2 per cent higher at 12.43 lh due to higher planting of bajra. Sugarcane acreage is up 1 per cent at 49.80 lh.

Tur, urad lower

Among the pulses, tur has been sown in 0.38 lh until June 16 (against 1.07 lh year-ago), moong 0.37 lh (1.83 lh) and urad in 0.33 lh (0.49 lh). In the oilseeds category, groundnut sowing is reported in 3.51 lh (3.20 lh) and soyabean in 0.21 lh (0.68 lh). In coarse cereals, maize area reached 5.25 lh (6.06 lh), bajra 6.27 lh (0.39 lh) and jowar 0.21 lh (0.34 lh).

Cotton farmers have taken a lead this year, too, as its acreage reached 20.08 lh — up five per cent, while jute and mesta reported a fall of 11.8 per cent at 5.74 lh. Gujarat’s farmers have sown groundnut on 0.65 lh and cotton on 1.74 lh, so far.

Meanwhile, the rainfall deficit in the current monsoon season (June-September) has narrowed down to 47 per cent of long period average until June 16 from 62 per cent of LPA until June 9. The onset of monsoon has been delayed by a week this year as it reached Kerala on June 8.