Data from Agriculture Ministry on Friday showed that overall trend of Rabi crop sowing progress is progressing satisfactorily owing to the fact that major growing states have received recent winter rainfall, beneficial for Rabi crops, even as some states have reported crop damage due to excess rains.

Rabi crops have been affected in Madhya Pradesh (48,871 ha), Rajasthan (69,375 ha), Uttar Pradesh (1,11,700 ha), Haryana (97,676 ha), Maharashtra (5,276 ha) and Tripura (13,542 ha), according to data as updated by the respective states after a video conference on January 11.

The total sown area under Rabi crops as on Friday is 664.59 lakh ha against 656.44 lakh ha area during the corresponding period of last year, thus recording an increase by 8.15 lakh ha.

Sowing reported under wheat is 336.48 lakh ha against 340.74 lakh ha last year, while rice sowing is over 19.82 lakh ha against 24.33 lakh ha area of last year, according to the data.

The area coverage under pulses is 160.20 lakh ha against 160.13 lakh ha area of last year and for coarse cereals at 47.82 lakh ha against 48.91 lakh ha area of last year.

However, the area coverage reported under oilseeds is 100.27 lakh ha area against 82.34 lakh ha area of last year, thus showing a significant increase. In oilseeds, mainly significant increased area coverage has been recorded under rapeseed and mustard at 90.45 lakh ha compared to corresponding period of last year of 72.93 lakh ha.

As per the Central Water Commission statistics, as on January 13, the live water storage available in 137 reservoirs in the country is 101 per cent of live storage of corresponding period of last year and 122 per cent of average of last ten years. That is because of widespread rainfall across the country.

Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Haryana, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Rajasthan, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, and some North-Eastern states such as Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya, and Nagaland received rainfall during this period.

"Most of the states are still expected to achieve the targeted area of pulses within this month while sowing/transplanting of Rabi rice will be carried out in the southern and eastern region till end of January to first week of February," said an official.

Besides, sowing window for wheat is up to the first fortnight of January which is going on, the official said, adding, the area coverage under Rabi crops will be finalised by the end of January 2022 and progress of preliminary summer crop area coverage will be reported from the first week of February as per the system.

Source - https://www.business-standard.com