Wheat and paddy area increased but sowing of oilseeds reduced
01-Jan-2025 11:32 AM
In the current Rabi season, there has been an increase in the cultivation area of wheat and paddy, but a decline in oilseeds, particularly mustard. Official data reveals the following trends:
Wheat: The wheat sowing area has grown to approximately 320 lakh hectares, a rise of 7 lakh hectares (2.2%) from last year’s 313 lakh hectares. This is also 7.65 lakh hectares higher than the average area of 312.35 lakh hectares. Despite a late start, the pace of wheat sowing has accelerated, and the crop's condition is reported as generally normal. As of last week, wheat sowing had covered about 7 lakh hectares, with some areas still in the process of sowing.
Paddy: The area under Rabi paddy has increased by 5.6% from 13.61 lakh hectares last year to 14.37 lakh hectares this year. The cultivation of paddy is expected to continue for some time.
Oilseeds (especially Mustard): There has been a reduction in the area for oilseed crops, particularly mustard, which has decreased by 5.6% from 93.73 lakh hectares last year to 88.50 lakh hectares this year. Overall, the oilseed area has decreased by 5.2%, from 101.37 lakh hectares last year to 96.15 lakh hectares this year. However, the area for groundnut remains almost the same as last year at 3.32 lakh hectares.
This shift in crop area reflects varying trends in agriculture, with a focus on wheat and paddy while the oilseed sector, especially mustard, faces a downturn.