As possibility of deficient monsoon looms, farmers sow more ‘Shri Anna’
It appears that farmers are planting more millet, or ‘Shri Anna’, in response to a possible lack of rainfall this year. The cultivation of rice, the main cereals in the fall season, pulses and some oilseeds is below the level of last year. The space below the cotton and peanuts, which are higher, may hang like normal life in the main product Gujarat has been affected by the cyclone pepperjoy.
Official data on the Ministry of Agriculture portal showed that the total area sown with kharif crops increased by 1.5 percent at 99.28 lakh hectares as of June 16, compared to 97.83 lakh hectares in the same period last year. Sugarcane, cotton and bagra continue to register an area higher as last week, but corn acreage decreased slightly.
On the other hand, data from the Central Water Committee showed that the storage level in 146 main reservoirs in the country was 27 percent of the total live storage capacity of 178.185 billion cubic metres. This was two percentage points lower than the same period last year but above the normal level.
Monsoon advances
Sowing activities are scheduled to move next week, mainly in those states where it is monsoon Agriculture Ministry officials said he was expected to criticize.
release forecasts for the next two weeks, Indian Meteorological Department He said conditions became favorable for further advance of the southwest monsoon over some other parts of the southern peninsula and eastern India during the period from 18 to 21 June. No monsoon progression has been observed since June 11 and the Northern Monsoon Limit (NLM) still passes through Ratnagiri, Kopal, Puttaparthi, Shriharikota, Malda and Vorbisganj.
The area of rice, the main autumn grain, decreased by 14.6 percent at 5.32 liters, while all pulses combined decreased by 57.3 percent at 1.80 liters, and the area of oilseeds decreased by 14.4 percent at 4.11 liters. However, the sowing area under feeder and coarse grains was reported to increase by 64.2 percent at 12.43 L due to higher sowing of bagra. Sugarcane acreage increased by 1 percent at 49.80 litres.
developed, less is intended
Among the pulses, tor was sown at 0.38 L up to 16 June (versus 1.07 L a year earlier), muong 0.37 L (1.83 L) and radd at 0.33 L (0.49 L). In the oilseeds category, sowing of peanuts was reported at 3.51 L (3.20 L) and soybean at 0.21 L (0.68 L). In coarse grains, the area of maize was 5.25 liters (6.06 L), bagra 6.27 liters (0.39 L), and jowar 0.21 liters (0.34 L).
Cotton growers took the lead this year too, with 20.08 litres – up five per cent, while jute and mista recorded an 11.8 per cent drop at 5.74 litres. Gujarat farmers have planted groundnut on 0.65L and cotton on 1.74L so far.
Meanwhile, the rainfall deficit in the current monsoon season (June-September) narrowed to 47 percent of the long-period average through June 16 from 62 percent of the LPA through June 9. The start of the monsoon was delayed by a week this. general as it is I reached Kerala on 8th June.