The sowing of Kharif crops this year has registered a notable increase of 1.93 percent compared to the same period last year. According to data released by the Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, the total sowing area has expanded to 1065.08 lakh hectares as of August 27, 2024, up from 1044.85 lakh hectares in 2023. The growth is primarily driven by increased cultivation of paddy, pulses, and coarse grains.
The most significant rise has been observed in the sowing of pulses, which increased by 5.72 percent to 122.16 lakh hectares, compared to 115.55 lakh hectares last year. Among pulses, tur (arhar) and moong have seen the largest expansion, with 45.78 lakh hectares and 34.07 lakh hectares sown, respectively. However, the area under urad cultivation has slightly declined to 29.04 lakh hectares from 30.81 lakh hectares in 2023.
Paddy Sowing Up by 4.24 percent
Paddy cultivation has also witnessed a healthy increase of 4.24 percent, with the area rising to 394.28 lakh hectares, compared to 369.05 lakh hectares at the same time last year. The favorable monsoon in many regions has contributed to this boost in paddy sowing.
Coarse Grains Register 4.51 percent Growth
The sowing of coarse grains has grown by 4.51 percent to 185.51 lakh hectares, up from 177.50 lakh hectares last year. Maize remains the most widely cultivated coarse grain, with 87.23 lakh hectares sown, followed by jowar 14.93 lakh hectares, bajra 68.85 lakh hectares, and ragi 9.17 lakh hectares. However, bajra sowing has slightly lagged behind last year’s figures.
Marginal Increase in Oilseeds and Other Crops
Oilseed cultivation has seen a marginal increase of 0.83 percent, with soybean occupying 125.11 lakh hectares and groundnut covering 46.82 lakh hectares. Other oilseeds like sunflower and sesame have also maintained stable sowing areas.
Sugarcane sowing has edged up slightly to 57.68 lakh hectares. In contrast, cotton has recorded a significant decline of 11.36 percent, reducing the sowing area from 122.74 lakh hectares in 2023 to 111.39 lakh hectares this year. Similarly, the cultivation of jute and mesta has decreased to 5.70 lakh hectares.
