Decline in sowing area of many Kharif crops in Gujarat
01-Aug-2024 06:31 PM
Ahmedabad. In the western state of the country, Gujarat, the sowing area of many Kharif crops has declined during the current year as compared to last year, due to which the total production area has also decreased by about 5 lakh hectares from 74.64 lakh hectares to 69.66 lakh hectares.
This data is till 29 July. In comparison to last year, during the current Kharif season, the production area of grain crops including paddy in the state has decreased from 11.85 lakh hectares to 10.76 lakh hectares,
the area of pulses has slipped from 3.18 lakh hectares to 3.09 lakh hectares, the sowing area of cotton has slipped from 26.65 lakh hectares to 23.15 lakh hectares and the area of guar has decreased from 86 thousand hectares to 42 thousand hectares.
On the other hand, the production area of oilseed crops increased from 21.81 lakh hectares last year to 22.90 lakh hectares this year, the main reason for which is the huge increase in the area of groundnut.
According to the latest data of Gujarat Agriculture Department, during the Kharif season of 2024, compared to the year 2023, the production area of paddy in the state fell from 7.10 lakh hectares to 6.32 lakh hectares,
the sowing area of millet decreased from 1.81 lakh hectares to 1.42 lakh hectares and the area of maize slipped from 2.82 lakh hectares to 2.80 lakh hectares, while the area of sorghum improved from 13 thousand hectares to 15 thousand hectares.
Among pulses crops, production area of Arhar (Tuvar) improved from 1.78 lakh hectares last year to 1.97 lakh hectares this time,
but sowing area of moong decreased from 59 thousand hectares to 37 thousand hectares, area of moth fell from 12 thousand hectares to 8 thousand hectares and area of black gram slipped from 69 thousand hectares to 65 thousand hectares.
In the category of oilseed crops, production area of groundnut jumped from 16.22 lakh hectares to 18.83 lakh hectares and soybean sowing area increased from 2.63 lakh hectares to 2.93 lakh hectares,
but area of sesame fell from 53 thousand hectares to 36 thousand hectares and area of castor seed slipped from 2.43 lakh hectares to 78 thousand hectares.
The cotton production area in Gujarat has dropped from 26.65 lakh hectares last year to 23.15 lakh hectares this time and the guar sowing area has fallen from 86 thousand hectares to 42 thousand hectares.
It is worth noting that Gujarat has traditionally been the leading producer of groundnut, castor and cotton in the country.