Rabi Crops Sowing Crosess 442 Lakh Hectare in the year 2017

New Delhi, December 9: As per preliminary reports received from the States, the total area sown under Rabi crops as on December 8, 2017 stands at 442.29 lakh hectares as compared to 448.48 lakh hectare this time in 2016.

Wheat has been sown/transplanted in 190.87 lakh hectares, rice in 11.87 lakh hectares, pulses in 127.62 lakh hectares, coarse cereals in 44.14 lakh hectares and area sown under oilseeds is 67.79 lakh hectares.

The slow pace of sowing in the major wheat-growing States of Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Haryana has pulled the total area under the crop to 190.87 lakh hectares (lh) — 6.24 per cent lower than 203.56 lh during the corresponding period last year, data released by the Agriculture Ministry showed on Friday.

An impressive increase in the area under pulses in Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka, followed by Andhra Pradesh and Gujarat, took the pulses acreage to 127.62 lh — 6.6 per cent more than last year.

Significantly, Tamil Nadu, which received ample rain in the last two months, accounted for nearly 80 per cent of the total area under rice cultivation so far this year. Of the total 11.87 lh area under rice cultivation, close to 10 lh was reported from the State.

Oilseeds continued to be a laggard with the total area of cultivation inching to 67.79 lh, which is 6 per cent lower than the previous year’s 72.16 lh. The shortfall was due to a 6.59-lh drop in Rajasthan.