Rabi crop sowing on track, increase in coverage this year: govt

Rabi – or winter season – crops are sown around mid-November, and harvesting begins in April-May.

Crop sowing in the ongoing rabi season is on track, with 265.43 lakh hectare (ha) area sown till November 20, according to latest data released by the Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare on Friday.

“As on 20.11.2020, total rabi crops has been sown on 265.43 lakh ha area against 241.66 lakh ha area during the corresponding period of last year, thus increase in area coverage by 23.77 lakh ha compared to last year in the country,” the ministry said in a statement. “There is no impact of Covid-19 on progress of area coverage under rabi crops as on date.”

Rabi – or winter season – crops are sown around mid-November, and harvesting begins in April-May. The overall area sown under total rabi crops till Friday is 9.84 per cent higher than the corresponding period of the last year, data shows. However, the increase is sharpest in case of pulses.

The area under rabi pulses such as gram, lentil, field pea, kulthi, urd bean, moong bean and lathyrus has been reported 82.59 lakh ha till date, which is 27.91 per cent higher than 64.57 lakh ha during the corresponding period last year.

According to the ministry, the higher area under pulses has been reported from Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Karnataka, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Assam, Telangana, West Bengal, Odisha and Uttarakhand.

However, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Haryana, Tamil Nadu and Nagaland have reported less area under rabi pulses during the current season. About 97.27 lakh ha area has been reported under wheat as of November 20, against 96.77 lakh ha area during the corresponding period last year.

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