Initial sowing data indicate increased acreage for mustard, masur (lentil), jowar, and maize, with wheat planting yet to begin. The first report indicates a total area under all rabi crops of 22.53 lakh hectares (lh) as of October 20, up from 21.87 lh compared to the previous year.

“There has been conducive climate now as day temperature in north has started falling, which will aid in sowing activities. The moisture content is also good and the reservoir level in north is normal which is good for the sowing of winter crops,” said a senior official.

The 10 reservoirs in northern region in Himachal Pradesh, Punjab and Rajasthan, the storage level was at 80.9 per cent of their combined storage capacity of 19.663 billion cubic meter (BCM) as on October 19, whereas it was 89 per cent in the year-ago period. The average storage of last ten years as on October 19 is 81.3 per cent of capacity.

Of the 2.18 lh area coverage under paddy, against 2.71 lh year-ago, Tamil Nadu has reported 2.08 lh and Kerala 0.10 lh.

Under pulses, 3.71 lh area area has been covered compared with 4.30 lh in the year ago period as acreage of chana (gram) is down at 3.03 lh from 3.51 lh. Rajasthan has reported 1.55 lh, while Karnataka has reported 1.52 lh, Tamil Nadu 0.25 lh and Uttar Pradesh 0.13 lh.

In coarse cereals and Shree Anna, the sowing area has reached 3.71 lh (2.88 lh). Maharashtra has reported 2.31 lh, Tamil Nadu 0.76 lh and Karnataka 0.64 lh under coarse cereals including jowar and maize.

The sowing under oilseeds reached 12.93 lh, which includes Rajasthan 7.18 lh, Uttar Pradesh 5.43 lh, Karnataka 0.16 lh, and Tamil Nadu 0.04 lh.

Crop shift likely

The preliminary data of sowing indicates there could be problem with regard to chana as the government has increased its minimum support price by 2 per cent compared to 7 per cent in wheat, said an industry expert. Besides, the market price of wheat is also good, which may help farmers to shift from chana, the expert said adding the government may want shifting towards wheat as Nafed has good amount of stock.

Wheat sowing is likely to start from first week of November as nearly of the paddy sown areas in Punjab have been cleared for the winter crop planting, the agriculture ministry official said.

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