Favourable weather gives wheat sowing a boost

Favourable weather seems to have helped in the sowing of wheat — the main rabi crop — in the key growing regions of North India, where farmers have brought in higher acreage under the cereal crop this year.

Wheat acreage stood at 317.81 lakh hectares (lh) as on February 3, compared with 297.lh in the corresponding period last year and 303.18 lh of average sowing over the previous five years.

Sowing of pulses, too, increased to 159.72 lh in the current rabi season till February 3, compared with the previous five years’ average (normal of the corresponding week) of 147.7 lh.

“The January rains have been a big positive for wheat in Punjab and Haryana, where the crop is in boot and heading stages with spikes seen emerging in various locations. Though there have been reports of hailstorms in some areas, the overall scenario looks good,” said an official at the Agriculture Ministry.

No major incidence of pest or disease attack has been reported in the key producing regions.

The India Meteorological Department says that almost all regions of North-West India have received excess rain in the last week of January.

The Met has also forecast rains over the next few days over the region.

The government has set a wheat production target of 96.5 million tonnes this year.

Higher coverage has been reported from Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra and Rajasthan. Lower coverage has been reported from Gujarat, Karnataka and Assam.

There was, however, a decline in the sowing of rice, coarse cereals and oilseeds compared with the average acreage in the last five years.

Overall, acreage under rabi sowing, which started at the end of October and has now almost tapered off, was at 645.12 lh till February 3, compared with the normal for the corresponding week, of 623.93 lh.

Rice sowing declined to 25.64 lh (29.25 lh).

States such as Telangana, Assam, Chhattisgarh and Tripura have reported higher coverage, while lower coverage has been reported from Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka.

Sowing of coarse cereals declined to 57.61 lh (58.92 lh).

Higher area coverage was reported from States, such as Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Gujarat and West Bengal.

Lower sowing was reported from some States, including Karnataka, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.

There was a marginal decline in the sowing of oilseeds, which fell to 84.34 lh, compared with normal for the corresponding week, of 84.89 lh.

There was higher sowing in Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan.

Lower sowing was reported from Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra and Odisha.