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Sugarcane overtakes paddy as top kharif crop

NEW DELHI: Although the Union Agriculture Ministry does not seem too concerned about the less-than-positive forecasts for the monsoon, there is perhaps cause for worry that kharif sowing this year is nowhere near where it was this time last year. Most significantly, sugarcane has overtaken paddy cultivation in some of the states.

In the case of major crops like rice, pulses, oilseeds and cotton, sowing activities have been well below normal.

Food security demands

Farmers appear to be shifting from paddy to sugarcane, and the reasons are evident. The latter already commands a high price in the market. Add to that the latest government move allowing increased exports of sugar.

Notwithstanding the growing emphasis on production of rice to meet the needs as and when the government ensures food security is guaranteed as an entitlement, the sowing and transplanting of paddy has been sluggish – down by almost eight per cent compared to last year. Much of the shortfall has been reported from Punjab where the area under paddy cultivation is down by 1.49 lakh hectares. But the Agriculture Ministry has not given any reason for the poor pace of activity, though it maintains that sowing is in preliminary stages.

The other states lagging behind are Uttar Pradesh and Orissa.

The coverage of sugarcane, on the other hand, has exceeded last year's coverage by a good 2.23 lakh hectares.

The states which have reported high sugarcane coverage are UP, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Punjab and Gujarat.

So it is interesting that while sugarcane cultivation in UP has increased distinctively, the paddy coverage is well behind target. Similar is the trend in Punjab.

However, in the case of pulses, the ridiculous prices for which forced the government against the ropes some time ago, the area covered is eight per cent lower during the current season as compared to the same period a year ago.

Oilseeds appear most disconcerting, down by as much as 36 per cent. Cotton, too, is lagging behind by about 5 per cent.

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