As sowing of paddy picked up in States other than Punjab and Haryana, the Union Agriculture Ministry’s data showed a decrease of 1.91 lakh hectares compared to the area of coverage in last year during the same period.
There is a marginal increase of 0.43 lakh hectares in the cultivation of millets in this kharif (summer) season. In Punjab, the sowing is in June and in Haryana, it starts after May 15.
The Agriculture Ministry said the sowing of paddy was in about 27.89 lakh hectares, primarily from States such as West Bengal (7.90 lakh hectares), Telangana (4.77 lakh hectares), Karnataka (3.29 lakh hectares), Assam (3.02 lakh hectares), Odisha (1.95 lakh hectares), Maharashtra (1.64 lakh hectares), Tamil Nadu (1.48 lakh hectares), Andhra Pradesh (1.12 lakh hectares), Gujarat (0.79 lakh hectares), Kerala (0.59 lakh hectares), Chhattisgarh (0.56 lakh hectares), Bihar (0.29 lakh hectares) and Jharkhand (0.05 lakh hectares).
In last year, it was 29.80 lakh hectares during the same period.
In the case of pulses, the sowing was in about 19.61 lakh hectares and Madhya Pradesh led the chart by sowing pulses in 9.64 lakh hectares. Last year, in the same period, it was 18.44 lakh hectares. Millets and coarse cereals have also seen a marginal increase in cultivation.
“About 11.73 lakh hectares area coverage has been reported compared to 11.30 lakh hectares during the corresponding period of last year,” the Ministry said.
The area has been reported mainly from Gujarat (3.25 lakh hectares), Uttar Pradesh (2.82 lakh hectares), West Bengal (1.34 lakh hectares) and Maharashtra (1.15 lakh hectares). The Centre has been promoting the cultivation and use of millets.
Oilseeds have been sown in about 9.96 lakh hectares. In last year, it was 10.85 lakh hectares during the same period of kharif season. West Bengal (3.29 lakh hectares), Gujarat (1.77 lakh hectares), Uttar Pradesh (1.27 lakh hectares) and Maharashtra (1.11 lakh hectares) are the major States that have sown oilseeds.
