Groundnut, soyabean propel kharif sowing in Gujarat to more than 75%

Kharif sowing in Gujarat this year has seen significant growth over the last year to date, largely led by cash crops like groundnut and cotton. Due to excess rainfall in Kutch and Saurashtra regions during the monsoon so far, overall oilseed crops have seen over 95 per cent of average sowing with crops like groundnut and soyabean clocking more than 100 per cent sowing.
 

For instance, as against sowing in over 1.54 million hectares of normal area or the last three years' average area, groundnut has seen progressive kharif sowing this year at over 2.01 million hectares or 131.09 per cent of the normal, accordin to the Gujarat government's Department of Agriculture data.
 

Another leading edible oilseed, soyabean, has seen progressive sowing during the current kharif season across 142,484 hectares or 116.81 per cent of the three years' sowing average of 121,983 hectares. Cotton too, has seen substantial sowing of 80.32 per cent of normal. The major cash crop has been sowed in 2.14 million hectares of land during the current kharif season as against 2.67 million hectares of the last three years' average.
 

Oilseeds like groundnut and soyabean and other crops led by cotton are largely sown in Kutch and Saurashtra regions of Gujarat, which have seen ample rainfall so far, in excess of 60 per cent or more of normal rainfall.
 

As a result, kharif sowing in 2020 for total oilseed crops has touched 95.89 per cent by the third week of July already with a progressive sowing area of 2.29 million hectares as against 2.39 million hectares of normal. Other crops, led by cotton, have seen 71.31 per cent of normal at 3.04 million hectares of progressive sowing so far as compared to 4.27 million hectares of the normal area.
 

On the other hand, with deficient rainfall in central and southern Gujarat, the sowing of cereals and pulses has been sub-normal so far. Total cereal crops have seen progressive sowing of only 777,823 hectares or 57.50 per cent of the normal, while pulses have touched 309,092 hectares or 65.54 per cent of the normal area this year.
 

However, due to advanced sowing in oilseeds and other crops led by cotton, the overall kharif sowing in Gujarat has seen significant progress. So far, 75.72 per cent of normal sowing has been achieved for all the crops put together at 6.42 million hectares as compared to 8.49 million hectares of the last three years' average.