Rise in paddy, pulses area lifts kharif acreage to 1,121.81 lakh hectares

In spite of a sluggish commence to kharif planting owing to erratic rains in numerous States for the duration of the early part of the year, the overall acreage this yr has surpassed last year’s stage generally on account of higher spot beneath paddy and pulses.

The spot beneath paddy picked up momentum toward the fag end of the planting year with the overall spot raising by 2.38 lakh hectares (lh) to one,121.eighty one lh. The spot beneath paddy is higher by 3.2 for every cent at 422.73 lh (409.39 lh).

Telangana, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab have reported an improve in spot, while Odisha and Kerala registered a decline.

Rain deficit down

The South-West monsoon finished up standard as a total, inspite of numerous areas experiencing deficit for the duration of early part of the year. The cumulative rainfall for the state, as a total, for the duration of theJune one-September 30 period of time) stood at 874 mm against a standard of 880.6 mm, a deficit of a person for every cent. Drinking water storage in a hundred thirty major reservoirs was ninety two for every cent of the dwell storage for the duration of the very same period of time a yr back. There are no report of serious pest and disease assaults on the kharif crops, the Ministry of Agriculture explained.

Among pulses, the spot beneath tur/arhar (pigeon pea) enhanced to 50.50 lh (forty eight.75 lh), while urad (black matpe) acreage stood at 40.05 lh (39.23 lh). The spot beneath moong (environmentally friendly gram) fell marginally to 35.forty one lh (35.fifty three lh), generally owing to erratic rains in Rajasthan, the premier producer.

The spot beneath coarse/nutri cereals was down at 178.24 lh (182.ninety five lh) owing to decline in jowar and bajra. Jowar acreage declined to fourteen.twenty five lh (15.thirteen lh), while that of bajra was at 63.37 lh (70.38 lh). Smaller millets acreage also arrived down to four.seventy nine lh (four.90 lh).

The coverage of maize stood at 85.04 lh (eighty two.03 lh), while ragi also enhanced marginally to ten.seventy nine lh (ten.fifty one lh).

Dollars crops

Among oilseeds, the acreage beneath groundnut was reduce at 49.forty four lh (fifty one.seventeen lh), while soyabean remained flat at 122.23 lh. Sesamum and castorseed were being reduce at thirteen.sixty two lh and 7.71 lh, respectively

Among money crops, sugarcane obtained spot at fifty five.22 lh (54.twelve lh), while cotton finished the year with a deficit of shut to 7.73 lh more than last yr. Cotton acreage stood at a hundred and twenty.15 lh (127.87 lh).