Telangana, Haryana, Nagaland and Gujarat have shown an increase in paddy cultivation.
Telangana, Haryana, Nagaland and Gujarat have shown an increase in paddy cultivation.
Despite the monsoon season in its final stages in North India, the sowing of paddy continues to decline. According to the data released by the Union Agriculture Ministry on Friday, the reduction in the area under paddy cultivation is 22.90 lakh hectares, which is 5.62% less than the area under 2021.
So far, paddy has been cultivated in an area of 383.99 lakh hectare and it was 406.89 lakh hectare in the corresponding period of last year. “Thus 22.90 lakh hectare less area has been covered as compared to last year,” the Center said. States like Jharkhand (decrease of 9.80 lakh hectare), Madhya Pradesh (6.32 lakh hectare), West Bengal (4.45 lakh hectare), Chhattisgarh (3.91 lakh hectare), Uttar Pradesh (2.61 lakh hectare) and Bihar (2.18 lakh hectare). Major contributors to the reduction in paddy cultivation area in this Kharif season. Meanwhile, states such as Telangana (an increase of 4.71 lakh hectares), Haryana (0.94 lakh hectares), Nagaland (0.78 lakh hectares) and Gujarat (0.55 lakh hectares) saw an increase in paddy area.
Farmer organizations say that high cost inputs, especially increase in the prices of fertilizers, are the main reason for the decrease in paddy cultivation besides water scarcity. The government expects a normal monsoon this year.
pulses cultivation
There was also a slight decrease in the coverage of pulses. In this Kharif, till date 129.55 lakh hectares have been cultivated as compared to 135.46 lakh hectares in 2021. States such as Madhya Pradesh (4.08 lakh hectares), Uttar Pradesh (0.22 lakh hectares) and Assam have registered an increase in the cultivated area. 0.11 lakh hectares) while Maharashtra (decrease of 3.23 lakh hectares), Telangana (1.70 lakh hectares), Jharkhand (1.33 lakh hectares) and Karnataka (0.94 lakh hectares). The cultivation of Arhar/Arhar was marginally lower at 44.86 lakh hectares against 47.56 lakh hectares in 2021, while urad cultivation stood at 36.62 lakh hectares as against 38.18 lakh hectares in 2021.
Oilseeds have been cultivated in 188.51 lakh hectares, which is slightly less than 189.66 lakh hectares in 2021. The area under sugarcane is 55.65 lakh hectare, which is higher as compared to 54.70 lakh hectare in 2021 kharif. In case of cotton, cultivation was done in 125.69 lakh hectare as against 117.68 lakh hectare during last kharif.