Kharif sowing slowly picks up in 2021; over 56 lakh hectare coverage so far

New Delhi: The planting of summer (kharif) crops like rice is slowly picking up and has so far covered 56.50 lakh hectare (ha) across the country in the ongoing 2021-22 kharif season, according to the Agriculture Ministry data.

Farmers have begun planting kharif crops in areas where harvesting of rabi (winter) crops has been completed. So far, farmers have completed harvesting 48% of rabi crop areas. Kharif crops are largely rainfed. The sowing of these crops normally picks up with the onset of southwest monsoon from June.

“The trend of summer sowing progress is very good as on date. Besides, the prospect of rabi crops is also very good and about 48% of overall rabi crops have been harvested as on March 26 in the country,” the ministry said in a statement. There is no impact of COVID-19 pandemic situation on progress of area coverage under summer crops in the country, it said.

As per the latest data, rice has been sown in 36.87 lakh hectare so far in the kharif season of the 2021-22 marketing year (July-June), higher from 31.62 lakh hectare in the year-ago. Sowing of kharif rice has begun in West Bengal, Telangana, Karnataka, Assam, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and other states.

The coverage of oilseeds like groundnut has increased marginally to 7.20 lakh hectare from 6.91 lakh hectare, while that of pulses to 5.53 lakh hectare from 3.58 lakh hectare in the year-ago period.

In the case of coarse cereals, the area coverage was 6.79 lakh hectare so far in the ongoing kharif season, as against 6.72 lakh hectare in the year-ago.

Water levels in 130 reservoirs till March 25 in the country stood at 86% of what it was in the year-ago period, the statement added.