Summer Crop Sowing Remains Ahead of Last Year, Pulses Area Up by 53%

Summer crop area has increased by 7% to over 64 lakh hectares (lh) until April 22 from nearly 60 lh a year ago, as an early start has helped farmers maintain their lead over last year. However, the next two weeks will be critical to monitor because sowing normally concludes by then.

According to data released by the Union Agriculture Ministry, the area under pulses has increased by 53% to 14.18 lh, owing primarily to a significant increase in the coverage of the moong crop.

As of April 22, planting in moong stood at 10.47 lh, up from 6.93 lh the previous year.

"Summer pulses area must reach 25 lh in the next 15 days to have any impact, and only then can it be conclusively stated that there is a real increase in acreage." Farmers sometimes plant early if rabi crop harvesting is also early, as has happened this year in many states due to the early onset of summer," said a pulses processor in Madhya Pradesh.

Rice planting, on the other hand, was 28.87 lh, which was 5.7% less than the 30.61 lh planted during the same week in 2021. Rice crops can be seeded directly or transplanted. Seeds are sown directly in the field with direct seeding. Seedlings are raised in seedbeds before being planted in the field during transplanting.

The total area under oilseeds has increased marginally to 10.61 lh from 10.26 lh. Among the coarse cereals, the maize area trails marginally at 6.21 lh from 6.23 lh in the year-ago period.

Since March 1, the country has received 42.3 millimetres of pre-monsoon rainfall, which is 29% less than the normal of 60 mm.

As of April 21, the cumulative water storage available in 130 reservoirs monitored by the Central Water Commission was 36% of their combined storage levels of 175.97 billion cubic metres (BCM), compared to 30% considered normal during this period.