Kharif Crops Sown in 64% area; Significant Progress in Pulses and Oilseeds but Area of Coarse Grains Decline
As of July 19, sixty four percent of the sowing of Kharif crops has been completed across the country. This season has witnessed a notable increase in the acreage of pulses and oilseeds, contributing to the overall rise in the area sown for Kharif crops.
As of July 19, sixty four percent of the sowing of Kharif crops has been completed across the country. This season has witnessed a notable increase in the acreage of pulses and oilseeds, contributing to the overall rise in the area sown for Kharif crops. According to the data released by the Ministry of Agriculture, Kharif crops have been sown in 704.04 lakh hectares, marking a 23.69% increase compared to last year's 680.36 lakh hectares. Paddy sowing, however, has increased to 166.06 lakh hectares, up by 10.41 lakh hectares from last year’s 155.65 lakh hectares.
Pulses have seen significant growth, with 85.79 lakh hectares sown, an increase of 15.64 lakh hectares from last year’s 70.14 lakh hectares. Arhar leads this surge with 33.48 lakh hectares sown, up 14.14% from the previous year. Moong sowing is also on the rise, with 25.11 lakh hectares sown, an increase of 2.35%. However, Urad sowing has seen a slight decline, with 19.62 lakh hectares sown, down 0.24% from last year. Similarly, horse gram and moth sowing have decreased by 0.05% and 1.13%, respectively.
The sowing of oilseeds is nearly complete, with 85% of the target achieved. By July 19, oilseeds have been sown in 163.11 lakh hectares, a 12.20% increase from last year’s 150.91 lakh hectares. Groundnut has been sown in 37.34 lakh hectares, soybean in 119.04 lakh hectares, sunflower in 0.57 lakh hectares, and sesame in 5.61 lakh hectares.
In contrast, the sowing of Shri Anna and coarse grains is lagging behind. Shri Anna has been sown in 123.72 lakh hectares, which is 11.20 lakh hectares less than last year's 134.91 lakh hectares.
Other cash crops have shown mixed results. Sugarcane has been sown in 57.68 lakh hectares, slightly up from last year’s 57.05 lakh hectares. Jute sowing has decreased to 5.64 lakh hectares from 6.03 lakh hectares, while cotton sowing has reduced to 102.05 lakh hectares compared to last year's 105.66 lakh hectares.
