December 13, 2004

India Wheat Sowing Unchanged So Far on Year

Planting of India's wintersown staple crop, wheat, is largely unchanged while oilseeds sowing is marginally higher in the Nov. 1 to Dec. 6 period, compared with the same period in 2003, according to the Ministry of Agriculture.

Sowing of wheat has covered 12.7 million hectares in the period under review, unchanged from the same period in 2003. Total oilseeds sowing has covered 8.1 million hectares in the Nov. 1 to Dec. 6 period compared with 8 million hectares in 2003.

Sowing of the major wintersown oilseeds crop, mustardseed, was 5.8 million hectares in the period under review, compared with 5.5 million hectares in the same period in 2003.

India's wintersown crop is sown from November to January and harvested in March.