November 25, 2010

Indian wheat sowing delayed due to rains
 
 

India's harvest of summer crops in three major Indian has been delayed because of rains, Farm Secretary, P.K. Basu, said.

Late sowing can result in a drop in crop yields. Sowing has started in only a few pockets of Uttar Pradesh, the largest wheat-producing state, oilseed-growing central state of Madhya Pradesh, Basu said.

Usually, a bulk of winter crop sowing is over by the end of November, just weeks after harvesting summer-sown crops such as rice, oilseeds and sugarcane in October. But farmers were unable to complete summer-sown crop harvesting as monsoon rains continued beyond September, the normal end of the season, and still have not stopped in some parts. Some summer crops have not been harvested due to late rains. That is why sowing of major crops, such as wheat, has been delayed, Basu said.

Wheat planting until November 11 fell 42% from a year earlier to 3.3 million hectares, according to official data. The latest data will be released on Friday (Nov 26).

A farm scientist said wheat sowing in India should ideally be over by end-November as it gives sufficient time for crops to mature by March-April.

The longer the planting of crops is delayed (beyond November), the more you will reduce the chances of a good yield. This is because you have to depend on seed varieties with shorter durations which usually give lower yields, he added.