Crop Report
India rabi acreage down 7.4% YoY as of Nov 8; wheat area down 15.5%
This story was originally published at 23:07 IST on 21 November 2024
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MUMBAI – Farmers across the country have sown rabi crops over 14.6 million hectares as of Nov. 8, down 7.4% on year from 15.8 million hectares sown in the same period last year, according to data released by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare on Wednesday. The rabi sowing data collection began from Oct. 1 onwards, the report said. Currently, sowing of rabi crops is in the preliminary stage.
Area under wheat, the major rabi crop, was 15.5% lower on year at 4.1 million hectares, according to the ministry data. Wheat is only grown in the rabi season in India and is one of the most important crops.
Farmers in some states of the country are seen shifting from chana to wheat cultivation this rabi season owing to better yields and returns on the cereal, analysts and traders said. The improved availability of water resources in the current rabi season is also propelling the shift, they said.
Acreage of rabi paddy was nearly the same at 704,000 hectares as of Nov. 8, against 699,000 hectares in the corresponding period last year.
The total area sown under all pulses in the country so far was 3.6 million hectares, down 6.2% on year from 3.8 million hectares sown last year. Among pulses, sowing of chana was at 2.5 million hectares, down 10.4% on year from 2.7 million hectares sown last year. Chana is the major pulse sown during the rabi season. As of Thursday, chana sowing in Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana is more than last year, while it is less on-year in Karnataka, Maharashtra, and Gujarat, according to each state's weekly sowing reports.
Maize acreage as of Nov. 8 was 271,000 hectares, up nearly 51% on year from 180,000 hectares in the same period last year. A government decree in December to cap sugarcane diversion for ethanol triggered a chain reaction and led to a surge in demand for maize from the ethanol sector, causing maize prices to shoot up to an all-time high of INR 2,650 per 100 kg in benchmark markets.
Furthermore, in January, the government raised the procurement price of ethanol made from corn to INR 71.86 per litre from INR 66.16 per litre, encouraging a move away from sugarcane-based ethanol due to dwindling sugarcane surpluses as output of the crop was seen to be lower.
The area under oilseeds was 5.2 million hectares, down 1.9% on year from 5.3 million hectares sown a year ago. Mustard acreage was nearly 5.0 million hectares, down 1.6% on year from 5.1 million hectares last year.
The following table details the sowing of key rabi crops, in hectares, compared with year-ago levels, and the year-on-year change in percentage terms as of today:
|
Crop |
Acreage 2024-25 (ha) |
Acreage 2023-24 (ha) |
Change (%) |
Normal area for the season (ha) |
|
Wheat |
4,130,000 |
4,887,000 |
(-)15.5 |
31,235,000 |
|
Rice |
704,000 |
699,000 |
0.7 |
4,202,000 |
|
Pulses |
3,571,000 |
3,809,000 |
(-)6.2 |
14,044,000 |
|
Chana |
2,457,000 |
2,742,000 |
(-)10.4 |
10,099,000 |
|
Masur |
428,000 |
385,000 |
11.2 |
1,513,000 |
|
Urad |
104,000 |
98,000 |
6.1 |
615,000 |
|
Other pulses |
85,000 |
102,000 |
(-)16.7 |
546,000 |
|
Coarse cereals |
1,042,000 |
1,121,000 |
(-)7 |
5,382,000 |
|
Jowar |
669,000 |
893,000 |
(-)25.1 |
2,437,000 |
|
Bajra |
200 |
200 |
0 |
92,000 |
|
Ragi |
28,000 |
18,000 |
55.6 |
68,000 |
|
Maize |
271,000 |
180,000 |
51 |
2,211,000 |
|
Total oilseeds |
5,160,000 |
5,258,000 |
(-)1.9 |
8,697,000 |
|
Groundnut |
91,000 |
101,000 |
(-)9.9 |
382,000 |
|
Sunflower |
400 |
700 |
(-)42.9 |
76,000 |
|
Sesamum |
100 |
200 |
(-)50 |
58,000 |
|
Other oilseeds |
300 |
400 |
(-)25 |
-- |
|
Mustard |
4,990,000 |
5,073,000 |
(-)1.6 |
7,916,000 |
|
Linseed |
65,000 |
54,000 |
(-)20.4 |
193,000 |
|
Total* |
14,606,000 |
15,773,000 |
(-)7.4 |
63,560,000 |
*The total may not tally as some minor crops have been omitted.
End
Reported by Shreya Shetty
Edited by Deepshikha Bhardwaj
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