Sowing in the ongoing rabi season is gaining pace, with total acreage till date at 146.85 lakh hectares (lh).
This is about 15.9 per cent higher than last year’s acreage of 127.71 lh in the same period.
The surge in sowing, which was lower than last year’s sowing till the previous week, has come about as acreage under all crops, except coarse cereals, is showing an increase, per figures released by the Union Agriculture Ministry on Friday.
Wheat had been sown/transplanted on 25.72 lh till October 11 compared to 18.65 lh in the same period last year.
Pulses, which were lagging till last week, surged ahead with acreage at 49.24 lakh hectares (37.23 lh).
Rice sowing, at 9.68 lh, was also higher than the 6.46 lh sown in the same period last year. Oilseed sowing over 42.03 lh was higher than last year’s 31.11 lh in the same period.
Coarse cereal acreage, however, declined to 20.17 lakh hectares against 33.26 lakh hectares in the comparable period last year.