Chickpea Cultivation Area Up By 54,000 ha in 3 Districts of Pune Agri Division

Compared to the average of 1.82 lakh hectares in the Pune agriculture division, chickpea has been sown on 2.36 lakh hectares, according to officials.

As per the state's commissioner of agriculture, "In Maharashtra, the minimum support price (MSP) for chickpeas is Rs 5,335 per quintal. It is a respectable sum. Up until December 2022, we have documented the sowing of chickpeas on 19.27 lakh hectares throughout the state. We anticipate traversing 25 lakh hectares."

Depending on the type of soil and weather, chickpeas are harvested 100 to 120 days after sowing. Chickpea sowing has increased in Ahmednagar and Solapur by 134% and 156%, respectively.

Chickpea sowing has increased by 134% and 156% in Ahmednagar and Solapur, respectively. While the crop is sown on 1.18 lakh hectares in Ahmednagar, compared to the average area of 88,377 hectares, it is sown on 92,689 hectares in Solapur, compared to the average sowing area of 59,412 hectares, according to agriculture officials.

However, in the Pune district, sowing is taking place on 25,585 hectares, compared to the average area of 34,330 hectares so far.

"We expect to achieve the average sowing area of chickpeas in the district in the coming weeks," said Subhash Katkar, Pune's agriculture officer. “Farmers who sowed early have already harvested their crops. It is a low-cost crop because farmers do not need to spray pesticides or fertilizers.”

"Farmers will need approximately Rs10,000 to grow chickpeas on one acre of land. They can get 8-10 quintals of harvest from one acre of land and earn up to Rs 40,000-50,000," according to a senior agriculture official.