Rabi Area under Foodgrains decreases by 2% as Farmers Seek Alternate Crops

One of the most remarkable elements of this year's rabi sowing is that many farmers are opting for alternatives to growing foodgrains. As per sources, the total area under foodgrain crops- wheat, rice, pulses, and coarse cereals- had decreased by 1.8 percent to 587.1 lakh hectares (lh) from 597.58 lh a year ago, indicating the start of a new trend.

However, because to a 4% rise in the area under gram, overall pulse cultivation is slightly higher than previous year (chana).

Despite a decrease in the area planted to foodgrain crops, overall sowing grew by 1.2 percent to 689.14 lh (680.77 lh), primarily to a 23 percent increase in the area planted to oilseeds.

According to the latest data given by the Union Agriculture Ministry, of the 9.8 lh covered under all crops in the last week, 4.55 lh was under paddy. During the previous week, wheat acreage climbed by 1.55 lh, pulses by 2.08 lh, coarse cereals by roughly 74,000 hectares, and oilseeds by 88,000 hectares.

Crop Diversification

"Though paddy coverage will continue, and there may be some overlap with summer (Zaid season) sowing, the sowing is practically complete. In the next years, the government, as seen in Telangana, would like to emphasize on crop diversification, notably from winter-grown paddy," an Agriculture Ministry official said.

Many farmers in Telangana have switched to maize from paddy this season, following a plea from the state administration.

As per sources, many states are seeing a good shift this year, with growers switching from wheat to other crops. Farmers in Madhya Pradesh have cultivated mustard in water-stressed areas, while diversification to onion and garlic has been observed in places such as Ujjain and Dewas. The change from wheat to mustard has also been noted in Rajasthan, while farmers in Gujarat have shifted to chana.

Wheat sowing has increased to 342.37 lh (345.86 lh), while paddy acreage has decreased by 19.3% to 28.16 lh.

Overall, 166.43 lh of winter-grown pulses were planted, up 1% from 164.85 lh the previous year. The area under gram has increased by 3.9 percent to 114.27 lh, surpassing the previous year's total of 112 lh. Masur acreage has also increased by 1% to 17.64 lh. However, all other pulses, such as urad, kulthi, and field peas, have seen a decrease in acreage.

All coarse cereal acreage has decreased by 3.53 percent to 50.14 lh (51.97 lh). The sowing of maize is up 7.9% to 18.37 lh from 17.02 lh a year earlier. At 6.78 lh, barley is a tad lower ( 6.87 lh).

Stay tuned with Krishi Jagran for more Agri News!!