Slow Pace of Sowing for Most Rabi Crops

New Delhi. Due to less-than-ideal conditions in the country's major agricultural states, the pace of sowing for key Rabi crops—such as wheat, paddy, chickpea (gram), lentil, barley, and mustard—has been notably slow during the current Rabi season.

Even though the first month of the Rabi sowing season (October) has passed, it appears that sowing for several crops—particularly wheat, barley, moong (green gram), and groundnut—has only just begun. The area under cultivation for mustard, chickpea, and lentil is significantly lagging behind last year’s figures.

Official data up to October 30 indicates that the total area sown for Rabi crops has fallen by 46 percent—from 6.902 million hectares to 3.756 million hectares compared to the previous year.

Specifically, the area under mustard has declined from 3.807 million hectares to 2.050 million hectares; the area for chickpea has dropped from 1.435 million hectares to 0.590 million hectares; and the area for lentil has fallen from 0.214 million hectares to 0.110 million hectares.

Sowing activities are being impacted by heavy rainfall in South India and drought conditions in Maharashtra. Similarly, the pace of sowing is also observed to be slow in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Gujarat.