Wheat sowing down by 12.41% so far

Area under wheat reached 110.66 lakh hectare in the current rabi season so far, down by down by 12.41 per cent compared to the year-ago period, the government data showed today.
Farmers have sown wheat in 110.66 lakh hectare so far in the current 2017-18 rabi season as against 126.35 lakh hectare in the year-ago period, according to the Agriculture Ministry's data.
Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan have sown less area under wheat so far.
Sowing of rabi (winter) crops begins from October and harvesting from March. Wheat is the main rabi crop.
However, pulses have been sown in higher area at 101.43 lakh hectare so far this season when compared with 89 lakh hectare in the same period last year.

More area under pulses has been planted in Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Karnataka so far.

Rice has been sown in more area at 9.49 lakh hectare so far this rabi season, as against 7.32 lakh hectare in the year-ago.
Area sown to coarse cereals has also increased to 36.35 lakh hectare from 33.93 lakh hectare in the said period.
But oilseeds acreage remained lower at 57.93 lakh hectare so far this season when compared with 63.96 lakh hectare in the same period last year.
Total area under all rabi crops was slightly lower at 315.86 lakh hectare so far this rabi season as against 320.55 lakh hectare in the year-ago period.

Only 50 per cent of the total sowing area of 623 lakh hectare has been covered so far.