AREA UNDER RABI CROPS DECLINE BY
45 LAKH HECTARES RABI
PRODUCTION ESTIMATES AND KHARIF TARGETS TO BE FINALISED TOMORROW
The crucial two-day
National Conference on Agriculture to finalise the strategy for
Kharif season 2003 will begin in New Delhi tomorrow in the backdrop
of the latest reports indicating that the area under various Rabi
crops during the current season has declined by 45 lakh hectares.
The Crop Weather Watch Group (CWWG) of the Ministry of Agriculture
reviewed the area under Rabi Crops at its meeting on Monday last.
As per the information received by the Group the area under Wheat
Crop has declined by 14.45 lakh hectares from that of the last
year. Summer Rice area has come down by 9.18 lakh hectares and
of Rabi Coarse Cereals by 3.46 lakh hectares. Area under Maize,
however, increased by 1.71 lakh hectares. The total areas under
Rabi pulses declined by 11.35 lakh hectares and of Oil Seed Crops
by 8.26 lakh hectares.
The Crop Weather
Watch Group noted that after a depressive Kharif season the Rabi
season commenced on a cautious note with available residual moisture
due to the late monsoon rains and less than comfortable water
availability in reservoirs. Normal to excess rainfall during the
post monsoon season – 2002 in most parts of Southern Peninsula
facilitated normal to good sowing of Rabi crops except in Andhra
Pradesh where the monsoon rainfall was less by 25 %. In the North
and North-West India, the weak monsoon was followed by weak post
monsoon and above normal temperature resulting in subdued Rabi
sowing, particularly, in Rajasthan and parts of Madhya Pradesh
and Gujarat. The severe rainfall deficiency of 64% in Rajasthan
during monsoon-2002 impacted the area under Rabi crops. The Crop
Weather Watch Group noted that the wide spread rainfall during
December end 2002 and in the winter season this year in large
parts of Northern, Central and North West India was beneficial
for the standing crops.
The area under Rabi
Rice in Andhra Pradesh has shrunk this year by about 6 lakh hectares
and part of unsown paddy area has been diverted to pulses and
coarse Cereals in the State. As a result, the acreage under Rabi
pulses in Andhra Pradesh has increased by about 3.5 lakh hectares.
Area under Wheat has recorded a major shortfall of 8 lakh hectares
in Rajasthan and of 2 lakh hectares in Madhya Pradesh.
The Conference on
Kharif 2003 beginning tomorrow will be attended by the Secretaries,
Commissioners and senior officials from the Agriculture Departments
of the Central and State Governments. It will take up review of
agriculture during 2002-03 including assessment of Rabi Crop performance,
programmes for the coming Kharif season besides deliberating on
credit and risk management, ongoing negotiations on Agreement
on Agriculture. The Conference will be inaugurated by Shri R.C.A.
Jain, Secretary in the Union Ministry of Agriculture.
