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The agriculture ministry data showed that the total sowing area under oilseeds at 0.46 million hectares (ha) by October 24 this year, as compared to a negligible 0.16 million ha by the same period last year. The sowing area under maize also shot up to 0.07 million ha as of Saturday compared with 0.05 million ha in the previous year.
By contrast, the area under jowar declined to 1.03 million ha by October 24 from 1.28 million ha by the same period last year. The area under pulses also reported a marginal decline to 0.33 million ha in the rabi season 2014-15 compared to 0.38 million ha in the previous season.
Satyanarayan Agarwal, adviser to the apex trade body the Central Organisation for Oil Industry and Trade, said, “Rabi sowing has not yet started in many major oilseeds growing states. If the initial trend continues, we will have good rabi season for oilseeds this year.”
Rabi sowing begins in the first week of October. Oilseeds sowing area posted a massive decline of over eight per cent in the recently-ended kharif season at 17.85 million ha as against 19.49 million ha in the previous season due to the delay in the monsoon.
