Wheat sowing declines 4.4% to 292.52 lakh hectares

Wheat sowing has declined by 4.4% in the winter season so far to 292.52 lakh hectares, while area under pulses is down by 2.74% due to less soil moisture following two consecutive drought years. The total area sown under Rabi crops as on January 28, 2016, stands at 591.51 lakh hectares as against 609.31 lakh hectares in the same period of the previous year.

Wheat has been sown in 292.52 lakh hectare in this Rabi season as against 305.94 lakh hectare in the year-ago period. Area under coverage for rice is down to 22.41 lakh hectares from 24.08 lakh hectares. Pulses acreage has declined to 139.08 lakh hectare so far from 143.01 lakh hectares. However, area under coverage for pulses has increased to 60.08 lakh hectares from 56.76 lakh hectares.

In non-food grains category, oilseeds acreage dropped to 77.43 lakh hectare so far from 79.51 lakh hectares in the year-ago period. Production of wheat, a major rabi crop, had declined to 90.86 million tons in 2014-15, from 91.50 million tons in the previous year due to unseasonal rains.