Rabi sowing raises hope of partly making up kharif loss

Rabi sowing has got off to a good start, thanks to ample moisture left in the soil by rain in September, due to delayed withdrawal of the monsoon.

Wheat has already been planted on 700,000 hectares of additional area than in the corresponding period last year. Pulses have also covered more acreage till now, though the sowing of coarse cereals and oilseeds is lagging marginally behind the last season’s corresponding position.

The monsoon began withdrawing from western Rajasthan only on September 25, against the normal date of September 1. It receded from the whole of the key north-western rabi belt only on September 28, instead of the scheduled September 15.

ON THE GROUND Area sown under rabi crops till November 26 (million hectares)
Crop	This Year	Last Year
Wheat	13.70	13.03
Rice	0.22	0.11
Total coarse cereals	5.04	5.45
Total oilseeds	7.58	7.65
Total pulses	9.41	9.19
Source: agriculture ministry

Brisk crop planting in the early part of the rabi sowing season has raised hopes of making up part of the losses in kharif production due to deficient monsoon rainfall in a large part of the country. Timely sowing of rabi crops, particularly wheat, is deemed important, as this enables the crops to escape the damage caused by the climate change-induced early rise of temperature towards February-end and March, farm experts maintain.

The government has aimed to produce an additional eight million tonnes of foodgrains in the current rabi season, to partly offset the anticipated loss of 15 million tonnes (mt) in the kharif rice output. The acreage under wheat is proposed to be increased by 0.5 million hectares (mha). Along with efforts to boost productivity, this is expected to result in two mt extra production, according to agriculture ministry sources.

About one mt additional rice is planned to be produced by expanding the acreage under the ‘Boro paddy’ (early rabi crop) in states like West Bengal, Orissa, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Bihar and eastern Uttar Pradesh.

Reports from states indicate the crop sowing conditions are generally favourable because of the good moisture status of the soils. All of north and central India had received copious rainfall in the extended period of the last monsoon season.

According to the latest information from the states to the Union agriculture ministry, wheat had been sown till November 26 on over 13.7 mha, against 13 mha planted under this crop till this date last year.

Similarly, pulses have been sown on 9.41 mha, against 9.19 mha last season. Both gram and lentil, the major rabi pulses, have been planted on larger acreage. The sowing of other rabi pulses, notably urad and moong, marginally lags that in the previous season.

However, oilseeds have been planted over 7.58 mha, a little under 100,000 hectares short of the 7.65 mha sown till this date in the last rabi season. The shortfall is mainly in the case of minor oilseeds like sunflower and rabi groundnut.

However, rapeseed-mustard, the main rabi oilseed crop, accounting for the bulk of the oilseed production in this season, has been planted on more ground – nearly 6.01 mha, against 5.84 mha last year.

Among the coarse cereals, the major shortfall in sowing till now has been in the case of jowar. The other crops, notably maize and sorghum, in demand by the poultry, starch and brewing industries, have been planted on larger acreage.