December 4, 2006

 

India's October-November wheat plantings cover 15.42 million hectares

 

 

India's wheat plantings in October and November have covered 15.42 million hectares--roughly 60 percent of the area--up from 14.06 million hectares a year earlier, according to data provided by the Ministry of Agriculture Friday (Dec 1).

 

Progress of plantings is one of the main factors on which India's wheat imports in 2007 will depend on, if it decides to import. However, there is a shift in acreage towards grains and pulses from oilseeds.

 

Significant gains in wheat plantings of around 400,000 hectares on the year have been made in a non-traditional region such as the western province of Rajasthan, better known for growing rapeseed.

 

The area under wheat is also significantly higher on-year in other provinces including Punjab, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar and Gujarat.

 

However, it still lags in India's largest wheat growing province by volume, Uttar Pradesh.

 

"For years we have been asking repeatedly....coaxing farmers to sow early and harvest early to avoid a fall in yields in case of an early onset of summer with higher than normal temperature in January and February," the then Agriculture Secretary Radha Singh said on Thursday.

 

She said anticipating good returns on higher prices, farmers growing wheat seem to be now paying heed to the advice of the Ministry of Agriculture.

 

Sowing of rice covered 424,000 hectares, up from 366,000 in the year-earlier period.

 

The area covered by corn during the period is estimated at 648,000 hectares, up from 548,800 hectares.

 

Plantings of pulses during the period increased to 9.61 million hectares from 9.48 million hectares year earlier.

 

Oilseeds covered 8.08 million hectares down from 8.88 million hectares in the corresponding period last year.

 

Plantings of all winter-sown oilseeds is down on the year.

 

Sowing of the most important winter oilseeds crop in volume and oil content, rapeseed, covered 6.13 million hectares down from 6.61 million hectares in the year-earlier period.

 

Acreage of groundnut fell to 267,000 hectares from 310,000 hectares.

 

India's winter-sown crops are planted from October to December.