All India Sowing Report

According to the latest data released by the Ministry of Agriculture, rice has been sown in 356.07 lakh hectares, as compared to 347.10 lakh hectares, a week back. Normal area under rice for this week is 344.69 lakh hectares. The cropped areas of major Kharif crops as 07th September 2012 as compared to last week and the normal area for this week are as follows:

Agriculture Ministry’s latest Crop Weather Watch Report

According to the Agricultural Ministry latest review of rabi season crop sowing trends, farmers in Punjab have till now planted 33.91 lakh hectares (lh) under wheat, compared with 34.59 lh during the corresponding period of 2008-09.

Similar declines have also been reported from Haryana (24.05 lh versus 24.55 lh) and Rajasthan (16.92 lh versus 17.39 lh). Average yields for a hectare in the three States during 2008-09 – at 4.45 tonnes for Punjab, 4.27 tonnes for Haryana and 3.05 tonnes for Rajasthan – stood higher than the all-India figure of 2.89 tonnes.

Maharashtra (7.43 lh versus 7.70 lh) and Gujarat (7.23 lh versus 8.78 lh), too, have seen a fall in progressive area planted. But the lower coverage in these States have been more than offset by increased sowing in Uttar Pradesh (77.89 lh versus 74.62 lh), Madhya Pradesh (38.36 lh versus 35.04 lh) and Bihar (13.59 lh versus 12.32 lh).

As a result, the overall area sown under wheat, at 231.32 lh, is more than the 226.01 lh achieved during this period of last rabi. But whether this would lead to higher production – the country harvested a record 80.583 million tonnes (mt) last year – is a moot point. The reason for this is that the States with higher coverage this time have lower yields, ranging from 1.72 tonnes in Madhya Pradesh and 2.05 tonnes in Bihar to 3 tonnes in Uttar Pradesh (average for 2008-09). For the current year, the Agriculture Ministry has targeted wheat output at 79 mt.

Madhya Pradesh farmers have brought in extra area not only in wheat, but even under rabi pulses such as gram (31.88 lh versus 27.61 lh), lentil (6.39 lh versus 5.32 lh) and peas (2.59 lh versus 2.47 lh), and oilseeds like rapeseed-mustard (8.87 lh versus 7.82 lh) and linseed (1.74 lh versus 1.45 lh). .

Uttar Pradesh has also reported expanded acreages under rapeseed-mustard (12.94 lh versus 8.53 lh), gram (8.63 lh versus 8.49 lh), lentil (6.42 lh versus 5.97 lh) and barley (2.53 lh versus 1.96 lh), while recording a decline in peas (3.47 lh versus 4.44 lh). Both these States have had a good spell of post-monsoon showers that have significantly bolstered the soil-moisture regime for rabi planting.

In most other States, the overall coverage of rabi crops so far this year is lacklustre relative to last year's levels. This is especially apparent in Rajasthan, the country's main rapeseed-mustard growing State. This time, farmers there have sown only 22.87 lh under the crop, against last year's progressive acreage of 27.62 lh.

Rajasthan has also recorded a decline in area under gram (4.57 lh versus 7.26 lh) and barley (2.49 lh versus 2.94 lh).

Another State that has witnessed lower rabi sowing activity is Karnataka, where area has fallen in sunflower (3.61 lh versus 5.19 lh) and jowar (10.97 lh versus 11.64 lh), while rising for gram (10.85 lh versus 8.34 lh). Maharashtra, too, has registered declines under jowar (28.40 lh versus 32.32 lh), sunflower (1.23 lh versus 1.28 lh) and safflower (1.69 lh versus 1.80 lh), while seeing a rise in gram (9.23 lh versus 8.84 lh).

Agriculture Ministry’s latest Crop Weather Watch Report

According to the Agriculture Ministry's latest review of rabi season sowing trends, released on this Friday (04/12/09), so far 167.36 lakh hectares (lh) area has been planted under wheat this year, which is more than the 162.40 lh covered during this period last year.

Much of this increase is, however, on account of M.P., where farmers have stepped up acreage from 15.24 lh to 25.04 lh. On the other hand, wheat area is trailing in the high-yielding granary region of Punjab (31.21 lh versus 33.03 lh), Haryana (21.60 lh versus 22.44 lh) and Rajasthan (9.50 lh versus 10.60 lh).

Cumulative sowing is also lower this time in Uttar Pradesh (60.33 lh versus 62.11 lh) and Gujarat (3.71 lh versus 4.65 lh), while being marginally higher in Maharashtra (3.40 lh versus 3.04 lh), Bihar (2.72 lh versus 2.47 lh) and Karnataka (2.52 lh versus 2.11 lh).

As far as MP is concerned, the excellent spell of post-monsoon showers have seemingly played a part in boosting plantings, whereas in U.P., the delayed harvesting of cane due to standoff between growers and sugar mills – is seen as a reason for lagging wheat coverage.

Farmers in M.P. have responded to the improved soil moisture conditions by not only sowing more wheat, but also bringing more area under rabi pulses such as gram (30.35 lh versus 25 lh), lentil (6.33 lh versus 4.95 lh), peas (2.55 lh versus 2.24 lh), and oilseeds such as rapeseed-mustard (8.85 lh versus 7.61 lh) and linseed (1.72 lh versus 1.39 lh).

UP, too, has reported expanded acreages under rapeseed-mustard (12.79 lh versus 8.45 lh), gram (8.63 lh versus 8.49 lh), lentil (6.42 lh versus 5.97 lh) and barley (1.87 lh versus 1.49 lh), while recording a decline in peas (3.47 lh versus 4.44 lh).

In fact, if one leaves out UP and MP, the overall coverage of rabi crops so far this year would work out lower in most of the states relative to sowing in the corresponding period of last year.

This is especially apparent in Rajasthan that is the country's main rapeseed-mustard growing state. This time, farmers there have sown only 22.22 lh under the crop, against last year's progressive acreage of 27.48 lh. Rajasthan has also seen a decline in area under gram (4.57 lh versus 7.26 lh) and barley (1.95 lh versus 2.47 lh).

Another State that is witnessing lower rabi sowing activity is Karnataka, where area has fallen in sunflower (3.34 lh versus 5.03 lh), safflower (0.59 lh versus 0.62 lh), lentil (1.03 lh versus 1.16 lh) and jowar (10.41 lh versus 11.48 lh), while there was some relief for gram (9.98 lh versus 7.98 lh). Maharashtra, too, has registered declines under jowar (28.20 lh versus 32.32 lh), gram (7.12 lh versus 7.38 lh), sunflower (1.18 lh versus 1.23 lh) and safflower (1.672 lh versus 1.79 lh).

Agriculture Ministry’s latest Crop Weather Watch Report

According to the Agriculture Ministry’s latest Crop Weather Watch Report, released here on Monday, farmers had, as on last Thursday, sown only 228.19 lakh hectares (lh) under paddy as compared to 285.94 lakh hectares during the same period of the 2008-09 kharif season.

The shortfall of nearly 58 lakh hectares was mainly due to progressive acreages lagging behind in Uttar Pradesh (32.92 lh versus 57.92 lh), Bihar (14.83 lh versus 28.44 lakh hectares), West Bengal (20.71 lh versus 30.44 lh), Jharkhand (2.56 lh versus 7.07 lh) and Andhra Pradesh (7.23 lh versus 9.96 lh).

Chhattisgarh (30.19 lh versus 32.68 lh), Orissa (23.88 lh versus 24.47 lh), Punjab (27.05 lh versus 27.35 lh), Assam (15.76 lh versus 16.08 lh) and Haryana (10.88 lh versus 12.10 lh) have also reported marginal area declines, while Madhya Pradesh (10.23 lh versus 10.15 lh), Maharashtra (9.54 lh versus 6.67 lh), Gujarat (5.39 lh versus 4.96 lh) and Karnataka (4.76 lh versus 4.33 lh) have shown higher acreages.

The Agriculture Ministry is, however, hopeful of regaining some lost ground. Recent good rains in Orissa and West Bengal would lead to "100 per cent normal area coverage in both States", while even in eastern UP and Bihar, "planting will continue up to August end", the Weather Watch Report has claimed.

But even if the overall area shortfall is contained within limits, the impact of the severe moisture stress on crop yields is something that cannot be underestimated. Moreover, a significant paddy area upwards of 5 lh in the irrigated Punjab-Haryana-Western Uttar Pradesh belt has shifted this time in favour of low-yielding but high-value-fetching basmati varieties.

All this may eventually be reflected in the total kharif rice production, which, after last year’s record 84.58 million tonnes (mt), could end up around 20 mt lower, it is feared.

The other crop to have suffered heavily is groundnut, with farmers managing to sow only 35.72 lh, against last year’s corresponding coverage of 45.54 lh. Much of this is courtesy Andhra Pradesh, which has seen a dip in acreage, from 12.46 lh to 4.57 lh. Gujarat (17.64 lh to 16.55 lh), Karnataka (4.83 lh to 4.53 lh) and Rajasthan (3.24 lh to 3.13 lh) have also registered small shortfalls, even as Maharashtra expanded its cultivation area from 1.94 lh to 2.49 lh.

Most other crops – from coarse cereals to pulses and cotton – have witnessed increased sowing activity this time, notwithstanding extended dry spells in three-fourths of the country.

Three crops to have shown notable acreage increases are cotton (from 79.47 lh to 92.92 lh), maize (60.47 lh to 65.02 lh) and soyabean (91.31 lh to 93.68 lh).

Cotton area has gone up appreciably in Maharashtra (from 24.57 lh to 32.42 lh) and Gujarat (21.72 lh to 24.74 lh), and also in Andhra Pradesh (9.98 lh to 10.26 lh), Madhya Pradesh (6.18 lh to 6.44 lh), Punjab (5.27 lh to 5.36 lh), Haryana (4.55 lh to 5.20 lh), Rajasthan (3.55 lh to 3.65 lh) and Karnataka (1.76 lh to 2.62 lh).

In maize, Karnataka (6.29 lh to 10 lh), Maharashtra (3.01 lh to 6.21 lh) and Gujarat (3.63 lh to 4.20 lh) have reported higher coverage, while declines have been reported in Rajasthan (10.38 lh to 10.14 lh), Madhya Pradesh (8.41 lh to 8.30 lh), Uttar Pradesh (8.64 lh to 7.51 lh) and Andhra Pradesh (3.75 lh to 3.65 lh).

The increase in soyabean area has come largely from Maharashtra (26.09 lh to 29.24 lh), Karnataka (1.87 lh to 2.31 lh), Andhra Pradesh (1.45 lh to 1.81 lh) and Chhattisgarh (1.21 lh to 1.27 lh), which have counterbalanced drops in Madhya Pradesh (51.42 lh to 51.02 lh) and Rajasthan (8.48 lh to 7.05 lh).