Led by gram, the area under sowing of pulses is ahead of last year

10-Dec-2024 11:31 AM

The area under sowing of pulses for the current Rabi season is showing a mixed trend. While there has been a notable increase in the sowing of gram and lentils compared to last year, other pulse crops like peas, urad, moong, horse gram, and khesari are lagging behind.

According to recent data from the Union Agriculture Ministry, the total area under pulses cultivation during Rabi has risen to 120.65 lakh hectares, which is 5 lakh hectares more than last year’s area of 115.70 lakh hectares. However, it still remains 20 lakh hectares behind the average area of 140.44 lakh hectares.

In particular:

• Gram sowing has significantly increased, from 80.35 lakh hectares last year to 86.10 lakh hectares, though it is still behind the normal average area of 101 lakh hectares.
• Lentils saw a small improvement in sowing area, from 14.50 lakh hectares last year to 14.75 lakh hectares, but remains slightly behind the average area of 15.30 lakh hectares.

However, for other pulses such as peas, the sowing area has remained stable, at around 8.10 lakh hectares, nearly equal to last year's figures. Unfortunately, pulses like urad, moong, kulathi, and khesari are experiencing a significant decline in sowing, both compared to last year and the normal average area. This situation may change as sowing is still ongoing, and there is hope for an increase in the coming days.