Coarse Cereal Acreage Reaches 187.20 Lakh Hectares

New Delhi. While a significant decline in the sowing area of ​​coarse cereals was observed during the initial phase of this year's Kharif season, the pace of sowing picked up later, causing the total acreage to recover and even surpass last year's figures.

Data from the Union Ministry of Agriculture indicates that the total area under coarse cereals at the national level during the Kharif season rose to 187.20 lakh hectares, marking an increase of 80,000 hectares (or 0.41 percent) over the 186.40 lakh hectares sown in the previous year. Although there was a sharp decline in maize acreage and a slight drop in the area under ragi, there was a notable increase in the cultivation area for jowar (sorghum), bajra (pearl millet), and small millets.

According to available data, the area under maize shrank by 2.9 percent—from 96.30 lakh hectares last year to 93.50 lakh hectares this Kharif season. In contrast, the cultivation area for jowar rose from 12.60 lakh hectares to 13.90 lakh hectares, and the sowing area for bajra surged from 62.90 lakh hectares to 65 lakh hectares. Consequently, the area under jowar increased by 10.27 percent, and the sowing area for bajra grew by 3.32 percent. However, crop conditions are reported to be weak in some states due to a lack of rainfall.