SOWING OF OILSEEDS AND PULSES GAINS MOMENTUM
Sowing of oilseeds
and pulses has gained momentum and is progressing well. The area
reported to be covered under Kharif oilseeds this year is 57.57
lakh hectares so far, compared to 26.86 lakh hectares covered
last year in the corresponding period. The area coverage of Kharif
pulses so far is 30.14 lakh hectares this year as compared to
13.45 lakh hectares last year. A review by the Crop Weather Watch
Group of the Agriculture Ministry shows that the reported area
sown under cotton so far is 17.16 lakh hectares against 14.05
lakh hectares reported last year in the corresponding period.
Sowing of cotton is complete in the northern States of Haryana,
Punjab and Rajasthan while it is continuing in other parts of
the country.
As regards rice,
total area coverage reported so far is 38.5 lakh hectares compared
to 44.3 lakh hectare last year in the corresponding period. With
the advancement of Monsoon, sowing of Kharif rice will gain momentum.
Sowing of Kharif
coarse cereals including Bajra, Jowar and maize has also gained
momentum. Total area coverage reported so far is 21.3 lakh hectares
compared to last year’s sowing of 25.8 lakh hectares in the corresponding
period.
Sowing of sugarcane
is nearing completion. Reported area coverage is about 39.6 lakh
hectares as compared to 40.2 lakh hectares covered in the corresponding
period last year.
The sowing of jute
crop is complete. The reported area sown is 7.5 lakh hectares,
at par with last year’s area sown in corresponding period. Area
covered in West Bengal this year is 5.7 lakh hectares which is
almost at par with last year’s sowing in the corresponding period.
As on the fourth
of this month, total water storage in the 71 important reservoirs
monitored by the Central Water Commission was about 14% of the
full reservoir level of 131.28 billion cubic metres. This is 83%
of the last year’s level and 64% of last 10 years’ average.
