Kharif sowing coming to an end, rice acreage up

Kharif sowing is nearing completion and for the first time during the season, rice acreage is marginally higher from a year earlier, the latest government data showed Monday.

According to the data, total coverage under rice as of today was 30.6 million hectares against 29.8 million in the year-earlier period.

Oilseed acreage as on Aug. 26 was 16.5 million hectare against 16.9 million a year earlier, the data showed.

Kharif crops are sown in June-July and harvested September onwards. However, due to vagaries of monsoon, sowing of certain varieties of crops continues till end-August.

"In most states and for most crops, the sowing period is over but there is still time to go for rice plantation in east India," said a senior agriculture ministry official.

However, farmers have been advised to sow only those varieties of rice which are sown late but harvest earlier than others, he said.

It has to be ensured that harvest of kharif crops does not eat into the time meant for sowing of rabi crops in October and November, he said.

Rice: Shortfall has been reported in some of the rice-producing states but for the country as a whole, sowing is now higher from a year earlier.

Rice is India's most important kharif crop with a normal acreage of 39.9 million hectares. The largest normal area under rice is in Uttar Pradesh at 5.5 million hectare.

Oilseeds: With the ideal time for soybean sowing already over, in rare cases, farmers are opting for late-duration varieties to complete their operations.Similar trends have been seen in the case of groundnut. Soybean acreage, as on August 26, was 7.6 million hectare against 7.8 million a year ago. The area under groundnut was 5.4 million hectare, against 5.6 million hectare a year earlier, while sunflower acreage declined to 783,000 hectare from 801,000 hectare.

Sesamum sowing dropped to 1.60 million hectare from 1.66 million. Nigerseed sowing was 138,000 hectare while 900,000 hectare have been brought under castorseed against 277,000 and 678,000 hectare respectively, last year.

Jute, cotton and sugarcane: Jute area coverage as on Aug. 26, was reported at 788,000 hectare, up from 769,000 hectare last year.

Sugarcane acreage has increased to 4.1 million hectare from 3.7 million a year earlier. The normal area under sugarcane is 4.3 million hectare.The total coverage for cotton has increased to 8.3 million hectare from 8.2 million hectare.The shortfall in cotton acreage which was reported in Maharashtra due to late onset of monsoon is currently being made up. The targeted area this year in the state is 3.0 million hectare.

The total all-India acreage of genetically modified bacillus thuringiensis or Bt cotton was 721,000 hectare.

Coarse cereals: Total area coverage under coarse cereals has increased over the past seven weeks and as on August 29 was at 22.5 million hectare compared with 22.6 million hectares in the year earlier period.

Planting a harvest

Kharif crops are sown in June-July and harvested September onwards but due to vagaries of monsoon, sowing of crops continues till August end

Total coverage under rice as of today was 30.6 million hectares against 29.8 million in the year-earlier period