Kharif crop sown over 1,104 lakh hectares: Centre

New Delhi| Sowing of the kharif crop has exceeded 1,104 lakh hectares, which was last reported (as of September 17) as 1,096 lakh hectares, the government said on Monday. Sowing of paddy, coarse grains, oilseeds and sugarcane has exceeded the normal area.

According to data from the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, paddy sowing has reached 413 lakh hectares (as of 23 September), compared to 404 lakh hectares sown during the same period last year. For pulses, an area coverage of 128.58 lakh hectares has been reported, compared to 119.28 lakh hectares during the same period last year. Area coverage under coarse grains reached 192.55 lakh hectares of area coverage as compared to 186.07 lakh hectares during the same period last year. With regard to oilseeds, 193.32 lakh hectares of coverage has been reported, compared to 190.92 lakh hectares of area coverage in the previous year.

Sugarcane was sown in an area of 57.68 lakh hectares, compared to 57.11 lakh hectares in the same period last year. Due to better monsoon this year, paddy sowing has exceeded the average area of the last five years. The area under sowing has increased in the current season as better monsoon rains have made sowing easier in unirrigated areas of the country, which constitute about 50 per cent of the country’s agricultural land.

Meanwhile, horticultural production in the country is projected to reach about 353.19 million tonnes in 2023-24, covering an area of 28.98 million hectares. According to Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare data (third advance estimate), production of fruits, honey, flowers, plantation crops, spices, aromatics and medicinal plants was projected to increase by 2022-23.

Moreover, the agriculture sector is expected to get a further boost as Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has announced an amount of Rs 1.52 lakh crore in Budget 2024-25 to increase production and resilience in agriculture and allied sectors.