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Informist, Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2024

 

By Pallavi Singhal and Shreya Shetty

 

NEW DELHI/MUMBAI – Rabi sowing in several parts of the country has been delayed by at least 2–3 weeks due to untimely rains lashing some of the states that are important for winter crops. The delay, caused by late harvesting of kharif crops and waterlogging due to continued rains, is likely to affect major winter crops such as chana and wheat, traders and analysts said. 

 

"Excessive rains in Maharashtra and Karnataka have affected chana sowing, which looks delayed by at least 15–20 days, if not more," Deepak Pareek, founder of Global Grains and Pulses Council, said. Chana accounts for nearly 50% of India's annual pulses production, while Maharashtra accounts for 26% of chana production in the country, according to the Indian Institute of Pulses Research.

 

Rains in Karnataka and Maharashtra have been in superabundance. The post-monsoon rainfall so far has been 30?ove normal in Maharashtra and 67?ove normal in Karnataka. These recent heavy rains have delayed kharif harvesting, which in turn, has delayed sowing in Maharashtra, Akola-based pulse trader Ankit Kedia said. Another reason, according to him, is the fact that chana cannot be sown in wet soil. "We are hopeful the chana sowing will start this week, especially since farmers have started buying chana seeds," he said. 

 

Rabi chana acreage in Maharashtra as of Oct. 14 was 657 hectares, down 90% from 6,639 hectares a year ago, according to the state agricultural department. Overall, the total area sown under pulses in Maharashtra as of Oct. 14 was 849 hectares, down 87% from 6,653 hectares last year.

 

Similarly, the area sown under all cereals fell by 63% to 63,864 hectares from 173,845 hectares in the corresponding period last year. The area under maize fell by 44% to 6,683 hectares from 11,860 hectares sown last year, the data showed. 

 

Excessive rainfall has also delayed sowing in Karnataka, Kedia said. "Farmers are not seen sowing chana until the skies clear out," he said. Usually, chana sowing begins 10 days before Diwali, he said. "We are also waiting for numbers on the extent of damage to chana because of the rain," he said.

 

The overall area under pulses in Karnataka was 201,000 hectares as on Oct. 19, down 60% from 496,000 hectares a year ago, according to the state government's acreage report. The area under Bengal gram, or desi chana, in the state fell to 180,000 hectares from 457,000 hectares a year ago. The state has set a target area of 1 million hectares for chana sowing this season.

 

Meanwhile, wheat sowing is also likely to be hampered if the cyclonic disturbances travel up towards Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, and parts of Haryana and Punjab. According to the India Meteorological Department, Cyclone Dana current over the Bay of Bengal is likely to intensify into a severe cyclone by Thursday morning and cross the northern Odisha and West Bengal coasts from Thursday night.

 

"Madhya Pradesh has already seen heavy rains in some parts which has delayed wheat sowing. While a delay in sowing in itself is not a problem, the problem will arise when a delay in planting causes a delay in harvesting, thus pushing crops towards a hotter climate in March," Sumit Gupta, chief executive officer of the Asia Business at McDonald Pelz Global Commodities said. While the overall acreage will rise, the output will depend on how the weather plays out, Gupta said.

 

Other crops that are likely to be hit include maize in Bihar and potato in West Bengal. "Bihar, primarily lining itself to become a major maize producer, has been in a high rain deficit this season, which has dried up the soil in most parts. Production is also likely to be low for potatoes in West Bengal due to a lack of moisture in the soil," Pareek said. 

 

The post-monsoon rainfall has so far been 80?low normal in Bihar and 25?low normal in West Bengal. End

 

Edited by Saji George Titus

 

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