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India's rabi crop sowing, standing at 1% above normal levels, showcases an impressive recovery in wheat acreage, narrowing the gap to last year's figures. Despite a 5% decline in winter-grown pulses, the overall agricultural landscape paints a promising picture, with increased areas in coarse cereals and a flourishing oilseed sector, especially in mustard.

Highlights

Overall Rabi Crops: The total area under rabi crops is slightly higher (1%) than the normal acreage but still marginally lower (1%) than the previous year. However, the gap between this year and the previous year's sowing has reduced.

Wheat Acreage: Wheat sowing, which had shown a 5% decline until December 1, has now nearly reached the level of the previous year. Uttar Pradesh and Bihar have shown increased area coverage for wheat.

Winter-Grown Pulses: The overall acreage for winter-grown pulses is down by 5%. This decrease is primarily due to a decline in gram (chana) acreage. However, lentils saw a 5% increase in sowing area.

Coarse Cereals: Sowing area for coarse cereals has increased by 3%. Jowar and maize both show slight increases in acreage. Barley sowing has also increased compared to the previous year.

Oilseeds: Mustard sowing has surpassed normal acreage and increased by 2% compared to the previous year. Overall rabi oilseeds acreage has slightly increased from the year-ago period. However, groundnut area is down by 19%.

Paddy Acreage: Paddy acreage has decreased compared to the year-ago period. The maximum area for paddy has been reported from Tamil Nadu, reaching 11.12 lh.

Conclusion

The current agricultural trends suggest a potential record year for India, as rabi sowing surpasses expectations and wheat acreage rebounds. The diversified cultivation, encompassing pulses, coarse cereals, and oilseeds, demonstrates resilience and adaptability in the face of changing conditions. This bodes well for the country's food security and economic prosperity, emphasizing the importance of sustainable farming practices and strategic crop planning.

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