India’s kharif sowing of pulses, paddy will catch up, says Farm Minister NS Tomar
Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar expressed confidence that the deficit in sowing areas for some crops may be brought under control in the coming days as the monsoon is in an active phase and there is excess rain in many parts of the country. Emphasizing natural spaces in the current fall season on Tuesday takes on importance amid fears of erratic rains this year.
The government is aware of the deficit in the cultivation of rice and some pulses. There is no cause for concern as the monsoons are active. We hope that the acreage (deficit) will be restored in the coming days,” Tomar said on the sidelines of a meeting organized by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR).
the autumn The Ministry of Agriculture said on Tuesday that sowing in the current monsoon season was down 1.6 percent at 598.43 thousand hectares as of July 14 from 607.98 le a year earlier. But the area planted with rice decreased by 6.1 percent to 123.18 litres, and the area of pulses decreased by 13.2 percent to 66.93 litres. The ministry’s data showed that among the legumes, the area of the tor plant (peas) decreased by 38.2 percent, to reach 17.04 liters.
On the other hand, the total area under all oilseeds increased by 1.7 percent to 139.25 litres, thanks to the higher area under groundnut. But the main oil soybeans for the fall fell 1.8 percent to 99.46 liters. The area planted with cotton also recorded a decrease of 11.7 percent, at 96.26 litres.
Bajra arrives
Bajra (pearl millet) cultivation increased by 48.8 percent, to 53.85 liters, and jowar (sorghum) cultivation by 23.3 percent, to 9.22 liters. The total area sown with coarse grains (including feed grains) increased by 18.1 percent to 110.66 litres.
Separately, Himanshu Pathak, Director General of ICAR, said that many climate-resilient crop varieties have been released in the past few years, as many as 250 during 2022-23 alone. He added that these varieties are sufficient to withstand any disturbance in the weather, whether it is due to a lack of rain or an increase in rainfall for a few days.
On the current crop situation, he said that no negative field reports have been received so far from any part. Specifically in terms of pulses, he said the area may increase in the coming weeks.
According to the Indian Meteorological Department, monsoon rainfall was 100 percent of normal during the current season till Tuesday, while precipitation from July 1 to July 18 was 10 percent higher than the long-term average. After a June that saw a 10 percent deficit, all eyes are on IMD’s forecast of more than 100 percent rainfall during July, the crucial month for the seeding season.