NEW DELHI: Sowing of kharif crops, except pulses and oilseeds, showed improvement in the past 10 days, an Agriculture Ministry review meeting here has noted. Sowing has been done in all States except parts of Bihar and Jharkhand.

The coverage under paddy, cotton, sugarcane and jute exceeded last year's cultivation. However, there has been a shortfall in coarse cereals, mostly due to lower sowing of bajra and maize.

The total area under paddy is 289.53 lakh hectares compared to 286.52 lakh hectares last year. Sowing of cotton has been done on 81.97 lakh hectares compared to 80.07 lakh hectares in the corresponding period last year. Of this, Bt cotton accounts for 6.59 lakh hectares.

The area under sugarcane is 41.05 lakh hectares (37.56 lakh hectares) and under jute 7.88 lakh hectares (7.69 lakh hectares).

Pulses sowing has been done on 97.3 lakh hectares compared to 100.2 lakh hectares in the corresponding period last year. In almost all categories of pulses, the sowing has been slightly lower. The area under oilseeds so far is 160.78 lakh hectares compared to 166.78 lakh hectares last year.

The shortfall is mostly on account of lower sowing of groundnut, soybean, sunflower and sesame. Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka have reported lower sowing of soybean because of the initial dry spell.

Karnataka reported lower coverage of oilseeds this season as a dry spell prevailed from June-end to July 15, during which period most of the sowing takes place. After widespread rainfall, sowing of groundnut and sunflower is continuing. The State expects to sow oilseeds on 16.96 lakh hectares by the end of the season.

Lower groundnut area

Groundnut coverage is lower in Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh. Sowing is still on in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.

Agriculture experts have advised Bihar and Jharkhand to go in for toria and yellow mustard. Even in Rajasthan, sowing of mustard has been advised in the areas, which suffered dry spells. It can be done till September.

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