Rabi sowing: Wheat area up slightly; pulses acreage rises 6.5%

Area under wheat sowing marginally increased to 79.4 lakh hectares so far this Rabi season, while pulses acreage is up by 6.5 per cent to 74.55 lakh hectare on the back of good monsoon and higher support price.
"As per preliminary reports received from the States, the total area sown under rabi crops as on 18th November, 2016 stands at 241.73 lakh hectares as compared to 243.38 lakh hectare this time in 2015," an official statement said.
Wheat has been sown/transplanted in 79.40 lakh hectares so far this rabi season from 78.83 lakh hectares in the same period last year.

Pulses acreage has grown to 74.55 lakh hectares from 69.98 lakh hectares, oilseeds sowing area has risen to 56.16 lakh hectares from 48.74 lakh hectares.
However, coarse cereals sowing area dropped to 25.98 lakh hectares from 37.86 lakh hectares.