Wheat sowing has increased by 1.4 per cent to reach an all time high 320 lakh hectares (lh) until January 10 in the ongoing 2024-25 rabi season, which is higher than the planted area of 318.33 lh in the entire season in 2023-24.

Another 26,000 hectares were brought under wheat in the week-ended January 10. However, coverage of more area under the main rabi foodgrain crop is unlikely.

Wheat area in 1993-94 crossed 250 lh and in 2012-13, it exceeded 300 lh. After that, the area expansion has been sluggish as most of the places where there is potential has been covered. Besides, the wheat area in Maharashtra and Karnataka have not seen any noticeable rise in recent years, experts said adding if productivity of Punjab and Haryana could be achieved in other States, the production can see a jump.

The crop conditions are good and there is no report of any pest from any place so far, said Ratan Tiwari, Director of Karnal-based Indian Institute of Wheat and Barley Research. He also said that the current fog conditions in the north-west region and other parts indicate the weather to remain cool which is good for the crop.

According to the Agriculture Ministry’s data released on Tuesday, wheat was sown on 315.63 lh in the year-ago period. Sowing of rabi crops, barring paddy, is almost complete, and farmers expect to begin harvesting some early-sown crops in March.

The production target has been set at 115 million tonnes (mt) in the current year, compared to a record 113.29 mt in the 2023-24 crop.

No change in pulses

Pulses’ acreage is almost flat at 139.81 lh as of January 10, compared with 139.11 lh in the year-ago period. However, the government may need to reconcile the year-ago data as last year’s rabi season’s total pulses area was at 137.39 lh, per the final estimates.

The sowing of chana (gram) has reached 96.65 lh (95.87 lh) and masur (lentil) at 17.43 lh, down by 1.9 per cent. However, sources said there is no fall in masur acreage, and the area is at the same level as it was in the entire year last year. There is some issues with year-ago data as last year it was collected manually and later on it was finalised based on other inputs, the sources said adding in the current season digital method has been applied to source data in many States.

Coarse and nutri-cereals acreage, too, is almost on par at 53.55 lh against 53.37 lh; while maize area is up by 9.9 per cent at 22.37 lh and that of barley is down 1.3 per cent at 6.62 lh.

Area under oilseeds has dipped 4.9 per cent to 96.82 lh as India’s traditional rabi-grown oilseed mustard has been reportedly sown on 88.5 lh, down by 5.6 per cent from 93.73 lh a year ago. Many mustard farmers are believed to have shifted to wheat on weather concerns during mid-November.

The total area under all rabi crops this year reached 632.27 lh as of January 10 — up from 631.44 lh a year ago. Winter paddy acreage is 2.6 per cent higher at 22.09 lh, and it may further expand as there was a 40.76 lh area covered in the entire winter season in 2023-24.