Paddy acreage is increasing as farmers bring more area under the main cereal crop as sowing enters the final phase of Kharif season 2021.
Paddy has been sown in more than 8 lakh hectares (lh) in the last week, thus increasing the total area under the cereal crop to 409.55 lh, as against 407.97 lh in the same period last year. The area under paddy this year is 3.51 per cent more than the normal area of 395.65 lakh hectare in Kharif season.
While the sowing of almost all major kharif crops is over, paddy transplanting continues till the end of September in several states including Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal. Madhya Pradesh (11.07 lakhs), Telangana (9.01 lakhs), Jharkhand (1.57 lakhs), Tamil Nadu (1.02 lakhs) are among the states giving high paddy area this year. However, less acreage has been recorded in Odisha (2.08 lh), Andhra Pradesh (0.20 lh), Kerala (0.09 lh).
Despite a slow start, the area under pulses stood at 139.63 lakh hectares as against 136.98 lakh hours in the same period last year. The acreage under tur or tur on high plantation mainly in Karnataka is less than 50 lakhs. The area under tur, so far, was 49.84 lakh (47.98 lakh), while that of urad is slightly higher at 38.89 lakh (38.32 lakh), while the area under moong is slightly less than 35.10 lakh (35.21 lakh).
lack rain
Among coarse cereals, farmers have planted more area under maize this year, while acreage under bajra and jowar has been less. The area under maize stood at 81.13 lakh hours as against 79.65 lakh hours in the same period last year.
Bajra acreage was low at 63.34 lh (68.66 lh) as sowing was affected by deficient rains in the major producing state of Rajasthan. Similarly, the area under jowar is less by 14.49 lakh (14.98 lakh).
Rains have been erratic across the country this monsoon. The overall deficit across the country till September 8 was 7 per cent, while on September 1 there was a shortfall of 9 per cent. Till September 8, the entire country received 707.2 mm of rainfall, while the normal rainfall for the season is 764.5 mm. About 70 percent of the country’s area has received above normal rainfall, while the remaining 30 percent has received deficient rainfall.
The deficient rainfall had also affected the sowing of oilseeds like groundnut and soybean, mainly in parts of Gujarat, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh.
The area under groundnut has been lower at 48.98 lh (50.91 lh), while that of soybean is 121.67 lh (121.16 lh), according to the ministry. Soybean Processors Association of India in its recent survey on the health of oilseed crop had reported total loss under soybean in about 8 lakh hours.
Also, about 13 per cent of the planted area was reported to have poor crop health. The area under sesame and castor was reported to be low at 13.15 lh and 6.16 lh respectively.
The area under cotton has increased to 119.46 lakh hours as against 126.80 lakh hours. The acreage under other kharif crops like sugarcane has been higher at 54.70 lakh (53.96 lakh hours), while there is a marginal increase at 7.01 lakh (6.94 lakh hours) under jute and mesta.
.