Mumbai, 19 Jul 2024 (Commoditiescontrol): As of July 19, 2024, India’s Kharif crop sowing has seen significant progress, thanks to the revival of monsoon rains in several parts of the country. The Department of Agriculture's latest data reveals that the total area covered under Kharif crops has increased by 3.5% compared to the same period last year, reaching 704.04 lakh hectares (lh) against 680.36 lh.
The sowing of paddy, a key Kharif cereal crop, is notably higher this season. The acreage under paddy now stands at 166.06 lh, which is 6.7% more than the 155.65 lh recorded a year ago. This increase is a slight drop from the 20.7% higher figure reported until last week but still indicates robust growth.
Cotton sowing, however, has seen a downturn. The area under cotton has decreased by 3.4% to 102.05 lh from 105.66 lh last year. This decline is primarily due to reduced planting in Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, and Gujarat, despite increases in Maharashtra and Karnataka.
Soybean planting is nearing its normal acreage of 123 lh, with the current sowing reaching 119.04 lh, up 9.2% from 108.97 lh last year. The overall acreage for all oilseeds has increased by 8.1%, now standing at 163.11 lh compared to 150.91 lh a year ago. Groundnut sowing has particularly gained momentum, rising by 12.6% to 37.34 lh from 33.15 lh.
Sugarcane acreage has slightly increased to 57.7 lh from 57.05 lh, while the area under jute and mesta has decreased to 5.64 lh from 6.03 lh.
Pulses have shown remarkable growth, with the sowing area for arhar (pigeon pea) surging by 73% to 33.48 lh from 19.34 lh last year. This increase is largely attributed to favorable market prices, with arhar dal selling at ₹175-230 per kg in Delhi’s retail markets. Urad acreage, which was up 9% until last week, has slightly declined to 19.62 lh from 19.86 lh. Conversely, moong sowing has increased by 10% to 25.11 lh from 22.76 lh. Overall, the sowing of all pulses has risen by 22.3%, reaching 85.79 lh compared to 70.14 lh last year.
Despite a 7.6% increase in maize sowing to 67.78 lh from 63 lh, the acreage for nutri-cereals has declined. The area under Shree Anna (nutri cereals) has dropped by 8.3% to 123.72 lh from 134.91 lh, mainly due to a significant reduction in the area under Bajra (pearl millet), which has decreased to 42.09 lh from 57.99 lh. Jowar sowing stands at 9.81 lh, slightly down from 10.07 lh, while ragi acreage remains stable. Sowing of other small millets has increased by 8.2% to 2.134 lh from 2.17 lh.
India, which imports edible oils and pulses to meet domestic demand, could see a bumper output if weather conditions remain favorable until harvest. This increase in acreage, particularly for pulses and oilseeds, holds promise for reducing import dependency and boosting domestic supply.
The revival of the monsoon, especially aided by a low-pressure system in the Bay of Bengal, has provided a much-needed boost to sowing activities, particularly in states that had experienced deficient rainfall earlier in the season. As the main planting window for Kharif crops draws to a close, these developments are critical for ensuring a strong agricultural output for the year.
(By Commoditiescontrol Bureau; +91-9820130172)
0 Comments 
Post Comment 
