Kharif sowing complete in half the area, says Gujarat government

Kharif sowing in Gujarat seems to have gathered momentum as about 50 per cent area has been covered under kharif sowing.

According to the latest data released by the State Agriculture Department on Tuesday, kharif sowing is over on 42.41 lakh hectares, which is 49.59 per cent of the three-year average of 85.52 lakh hectares.

Cotton and groundnut sowing remained top with coverage at 20.91 lakh hectares (lh) and 11.47 lh respectively as on July 7.

This is about 77 per cent and 84 per cent of the three-year average sowing.

Sowing area for pulses has grown to 1.25 lh , while about 75 per cent sowing is complete in soyabean on 60,500 hectares, the data showed.

However, the State has not received rains since June 24, when it flooded most parts of Saurashtra and central Gujarat. According to Met department forecast, there don’t seem significant showers till next week.

“For groundnut there is not much problem. But cotton is a matter of concern for farmers. The atmosphere is windy and damaging to cotton plants,” said Dinesh Tilva, an agriculture expert from Rajkot.

Meanwhile, a section of farmers have raised doubt about the State government’s sowing figures.

“There has not been a single drop since July 24. But every week the agriculture department has increased kharif sowing area. Without water, how would the farmers take up sowing? We doubt these numbers,” said Ramesh Bhoraniya, a groundnut and cotton farmer.

Notably, the agriculture department data revealed that kharif sowing has increased multi-fold compared to same period last year, when the kharif sowing was reported at 16.18 lh.