As monsoon rains returned after a two-week recess in the last three days, Gujarat is expecting a bumper crop this year as the State has already received nearly an average 32 per cent of its average annual rainfall of 800 mm and also completed sowing in half of its area under kharif cultivation.
In particular, the Saurashtra region, which received a bountiful first spell of rains in early June, has seen sowing of cotton and groundnut, besides other crops, completed in over 90 per cent of its area under cultivation, in 33 lakh hectare (ha) out of 37 lakh ha.
If the current trend of widespread rains, followed by sunny days continues, Gujarat expects to reap bumper crops and even increase its total area under kharif cultivation to 90 lakh ha.
Across Gujarat, out of 88 lakh ha of the three-year-average area under kharif crops, sowing has been completed in 45 lakh ha until now, agriculture department sources told Business Line on Friday.
This includes cotton sowing in 20 lakh ha and groundnut in 14 lakh ha, besides guar, soybean, bajra, jowar, maize and vegetables. Last year, cotton was sown in 27 lakh ha and groundnut in 14.5 lakh ha.
The north, central and eastern Gujarat districts have also received widespread rains, prompting farmers to sow castor and other crops in large swathes of areas.
The current year’s monsoon has been so bountiful that kharif crops’ sowing, so far, has been five times in 45 lakh ha, compared to just 9.50 lakh ha last year.
In Central and South Gujarat, paddy has so far been sown in nearly 30,000 ha, against an average 7.30 lakh ha.