Wheat, mustard, gram acreage show significant increase as rabi sowing picks up pace

Sowing of rabi crops, which was lackluster till last week due to festivals and delayed harvest of paddy picked up pace during the week that ended on November 11 with the total acreage almost 16% more than the same period last year.

The maximum gains have been in wheat, mustard, gram, and barley raising hopes of a second season of bumper harvest after the stupendous performance in kharif, provided the weather remains benign in the coming weeks.

This should significantly cool down food inflation in the coming days.

The area under wheat during the week ended November 11 was around 38% more than the same period last year at 2.57 million hectares, while that under mustard was around 57% more than last year at 3.82 million hectares, data furnished by the department of agriculture showed.

Gram acreage was around 3.43 million hectares which is around 26% more than last year.

A bumper gram production could bring down the retail prices which have reached almost Rs 150 per kilogram in the last few months due to poor supplies. The new crop is expected to come into the market from January onwards.

Officials said a delayed withdrawal of southwest monsoon has left a good amount of residual moisture in the soil which should benefit sowing.

In total, rabi crops are planted in around 63.80 million hectares, of which sowing has been completed in around 23 per cent area.