Paddy, pulses sowing area up 6 pc so far

New Delhi, Aug 20 (PTI) Paddy acreage has increased by six per cent to 369.05 lakh hectare so far in the ongoing 2024-25 kharif (summer) season, the agriculture ministry said on Tuesday.

In the year-ago period, the area under paddy was 349.49 lakh hectare.

Sowing of paddy, the main kharif crop, begins with the onset of southwest monsoon in June, and harvesting takes place from September.

Additionally, the area sown to pulses increased to 120.18 lakh hectare till August 20 of the ongoing season, from 113.69 lakh hectare in the same period last year, the ministry said in a statement.

There was a rise in coverage of ‘arhar’ to 45.78 lakh hectare from 40.74 lakh hectare. Area sown to ‘urad’ was 28.33 lakh hectare against 29.52 lakh hectare.

The area under coarse cereals and ‘Shree Anna’ (millets) increased to 181.11 lakh hectare from 176 lakh hectare in the year-ago period.

Among coarse cereals, the area under maize rose to 87.23 lakh hectare from 81.25 lakh hectare.

Area sown to oilseeds rose marginally to 186.77 lakh hectare so far this kharif season from 185.13 lakh hectare a year ago.

Among cash crops, the area sown to sugarcane climbed marginally to 57.68 lakh hectare from 57.11 lakh hectare, cotton acreage declined to 111.07 lakh hectare from 122.15 lakh hectare, while jute-mesta acreage remained lower at 5.70 lakh hectare against 6.56 lakh hectare.

The overall area sown to all kharif crops remained higher by a little over 2 per cent at 1,031.56 lakh hectare compared to 1,010.52 lakh hectare in the same period last year.

The southwest monsoon in India is currently active and progressing well, with significant rainfall reported across various regions.