Wheat sowing area has increased by 4 per cent so far this rabi season to 325.35 lakh hectare, while pulses acreage grew 5 per cent to 154.80 lakh hectare on better monsoon rains. The paddy coverage was down marginally to 14.83 lakh hectare so far this rabi season from 15.47 lakh hectare in the corresponding period of the previous year.
The country’s rabi foodgrains production including wheat in the ongoing 2020-21 crop year is expected to be better than the previous year’s record of 153.27 million tonne, according to Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar.
Sowing of rabi (winter) crops is underway. The rabi sowing begins from October immediately after the harvest of kharif (summer) crops. Wheat and mustard are major rabi crops. The crop year runs from July to June.
Speaking to PTI, Tomar said the country’s agriculture sector performed well during 2020 as foodgrains production rose to a record in the kharif season with farmers working hard despite the COVID-19 pandemic and proving their relevance.
“This year, we hope better foodgrain production in the rabi season than last year (same season),” he said.
For the 2020-21 crop year, the Centre has set a target of a record foodgrains output of 301 million tonne, out of which it expects 151.65 million tonne to come from the rabi season.
Further, the minister said progress to be made in the recent government initiatives including two new farm laws on marketing, formation of 10,000 FPOs (Farmer Producers Organisations ), Rs 1 lakh crore Agriculture Infrastructure Fund, will also benefit farmers and boost the sector.
