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A fresh spell of rain in the first week of February has enthused traders in Rajasthan who believe it will help increase the production of rabi crops. The traders estimate an increase of 5-15 per cent in production, depending on the crop.
Wheat, barley, gram and mustard are the major crops grown during Rabi season in Rajasthan.
If rain lashes the state in the next 10-15 days, then it will further boost production, traders said, adding that more rainfall after that will affect the crops.
KG Jhalani, a trader at Kukarkheda grain market in Jaipur, said the recent rainfall will be beneficial for wheat and barley and will increase their production by 10 to 15 per cent.
“The harvesting of wheat and barley in the state will start in March. In such a situation, if one or two spells of rain occur in the next 7-10 days, it will be quite beneficial. If it rains after that, there is a strong possibility of the crops getting affected and there would be losses,” Jhalani said.
According to the state government’s data, wheat has been sown in over 27.8 lakh hectares and a total production of 10,415,151 tonnes is expected in 2023-2024.
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Gram production is expected to increase by at least 5 per cent. Gram is harvested till late February-March, gram trader Shyam Natani said, adding, hence whatever rainfall occurs in February will only benefit the crop.
According to the state government’s data, Gram has been sown in 19.7 lakh hectares and a production of 23.5 lakh tonnes is expected in this crop season.
Mustard trader Anil Chatar said due to rain in February, the crop yield will increase and the oil percentage in mustard seeds will also go up by a per cent or two.
Mustard and rapeseed have been grown in 37.5 lakh hectares and the government estimates 62.3 lakh tonnes during the rabi season which is on the higher side, according to mustard traders. Rajasthan is the country's largest mustard producing state, contributing about 45-49 per cent to India's mustard production.
