India’s summer crops coverage drops 2% as paddy, maize acreage trails
India’s summer (Zaid) crop sowing has reached 42.68 lakh hectares as of March 20, about 2% lower than last year. While pulses and bajra acreage has increased under crop diversification efforts, lower sowing of paddy and maize has pulled down overall area ahead of the upcoming kharif season.
With a coverage of over 16 lakh hectares (lh) in the past month, sowing of summer (Zaid season) crops, which will end by May, has reached 42.68 lh as of March 20. This is 2 per cent less than 43.69 lh reported in the year-ago period. Zaid crop is grown before kharif sowing and after rabi harvest.
Though the area under pulses and bajra is up, they are not able to make up for the overall drop in summer acreage as both paddy and maize crops’ acreage is lower this time. Farmers seemed to be opting for pulses as per the government plan as all the thrusts are on the crop diversification.
The government has fixed a target of 19.67 million tonnes (mt) of foodgrains production from summer crops which include 12.15 mt of rice, 4 mt of maize, 1.14 mt of nutri cereals and 2.39 mt of pulses in 2025-26 crop year (July-June). The target for bajra (millet) is set at 1.10 mt, urad (black gram) at 0.32 mt, moong at 2.07 mt and oilseeds at 1.37 mt.
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Source : The Hindu Business line
