The pace gathered in kharif planting on timely and widespread rains in June sustained momentum during last week, with total acreage crossing more than a third of the normal area for the season so far.

The rapidly expanding acreage is primarily on account of higher area covered under oilseeds, coarse cereals, pulses, cotton and rice.

So far, the total acreage is higher by about 86 per cent over the corresponding last year, aided by the best ever June rains across the country in the past 12 years.

Oilseeds acreage has seen the biggest leap this year and the area covered so far has quadrupled to about 110.27 lakh ha over the corresponding last year.

The increase is primarily on account of higher acreage in Madhya Pradesh, where farmers have completed planting of soyabean in about 49.29 lakh ha, almost 90 per cent of the normal area of 53.45 lakh ha in the State.

Last year, soyabean acreage for the corresponding week stood at a mere 4.15 lakh ha.

Similarly, in Maharashtra, soyabean acreage has almost doubled to about 23.12 lakh ha against corresponding last year’s 12.55 lakh ha.

Planting of groundnut in the key state of Gujarat has progressed swiftly and the sowing is complete in almost 83 per cent of the normal area.

Groundnut has been planted in 14.09 lakh ha in Gujarat against last year’s 2.19 lakh ha. Total area under groundnut stood at 22.59 lakh ha against last year’s 5.84 lakh ha.

Rice acreage is higher by about 22 per cent over the corresponding last year with States such as Punjab, Chhattisgarh and Haryana reporting higher areas.

Except for the central and eastern India, the intensity of monsoons weakened during the week with half of the 36 sub-divisions reporting deficient and scanty rains.

The total rainfall across the country was higher by about four per cent at 59.1 mm during the week against corresponding last year’s 57.1 mm.

The acreage under pulses has also quadrupled with higher areas reported in states such as Karnataka and Uttar Pradesh.

Total acreage of tur (arhar) is up at 6.58 lakh ha against last year’s 1.50 lakh ha, while the area under uradbean is up higher at 5.72 lakh ha (0.72 lakh ha). Moongbean acreage has seen an increase to 4.37 lakh ha (1.01 lakh ha).

The area under coarse grains has almost trebled with farmers planting more of maize, bajra, jowar and ragi.

Area under maize has more than doubled to 36.54 lakh ha against last year’s 15.23 lakh ha with states such as Karnataka, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh reporting higher acreages.

Among cash crops, the area under cotton stood at 81.73 lakh ha, about 75 per cent more than corresponding last year’s 46.61 lakh ha.

While acreages have doubled in States such as Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka, it has more than trebled in Gujarat and Mahya Pradesh so far.

In Gujarat, the acreage stood at 19.91 lakh ha against last year’s 5.38 lakh ha, while in Andhra it was 10.90 lakh ha (9.04 lakh ha), Madhya Pradesh 6.09 lakh ha (1.71 lakh ha) and Maharashtra 28.19 lakh ha( 14.97 lakh ha)

> vishwanath.kulkarni@thehindu.co.in

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