Total area under kharif sowing jumps over 230% against last year in Guj

Kharif sowing in Gujarat has crossed 5.3 million hectares till July 8, with groundnut and guar seed sowing covering over 100 per cent of the normal area. Total kharif sowing so far in the state is over 61 per cent of the three-year average of 8.67 million hectares during the same period, data announced by the state agriculture department showed.

As compared to last year, the kharif sowing so far has jumped by over 230 per cent from 1.6 million hectares reported for the same period.

Notably, timely and widespread rains have boosted groundnut and guar seed sowings this kharif season. Area under groundnut cultivation has crossed 1.5 million hectares, close to 4 per cent more than the normal sowing of 1.44 million hectares.

Similarly, guar seed sowing has been done on 178,200 hectares, up close to 2 per cent from the normal of 174,900 hectares.

South-west monsoon has been early this year by about a week. The first spell of rains in the mid-June covered almost the entire Gujarat and key growing regions of south Gujarat, Saurashtra and north Gujarat.

After a halt of about a fortnight, the rains have resumed the activity since last week. According to met department officials, the state has received nearly 35 per cent of its seasonal rainfall of 800 mm.

The state is expecting a bumper crop this year mainly for groundnut, cotton and guar seed.

So far, 84 per cent of the cotton sowing is completed with sowing at 2.27 million hectares against the normal sowing of 2.7 million hectares.

The monsoon has also helped paddy crops in south Gujarat. According to state agriculture department data, area covered under paddy has touched 65,200 hectares till July 8, covering about 9 per cent of the normal sowing.

Total cereals sowing is over on close to 29 per cent of the total normal sowing area, while pulses sowing is completed on 35 per cent of the normal area.

Soyabean and sesamum sowing has witnessed robust sowing as over half of the normal area has been brought under these oilseeds so far. Total area under oilseeds is recorded at 1.64 million hectares, which is 67 per cent of the normal sowing of 2.43 million hectares.

However, castor sowing has not shown much progress as the total sowing this kharif season was recorded at 13,700 hectares, which is barely 2 per cent of the normal sowing of 7,39,300.