Despite the Covid-19 pandemic, sowing for kharif crops pick up

Farm operations have picked pace in the middle of the Covid-19 pandemic with farmers taking to sowing for summer crops with gusto, having covered 432.97 lakh hectares of arable land, almost double the area that was brought under cultivation the same time last year.

Aided by a good rainfall, increased 88% to 432.97 lakh hectares till July 3 as against 230 lakh hectares for the corresponding period the previous year, with oilseeds and pulses recording the highest increase.

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Arhar, soybean and bajra appear to be favourites among farmers besides the main kharif crop of paddy as acreage for these have increased significantly over the previous year.

Farmers had sowed arhar on 16.56 lakh hectares as against just 2.79 lakh last year, while the acreage for soybean was 81.81 lakh hectares as against 16.43 lakh hectares last year.

In coarse cereals, the acreage for bajra has increased to 17.90 lakh hectares as against 7.85 lakh hectares last year. Jowar too has been sown on 4.55 lakh hectares as against 1.7 lakh hectares acreage achieved at this time last year.

Paddy has been sown on 68.08 lakh hectares of farm land as against 49.23 lakh hectares last year.

The sale of fertilisers too has seen a spike this year, indicating that farm operations are on track in the times of Covid-19. Between April and June, farmers across the country bought 111.61 lakh tonnes of fertilisers, which is 82.81% higher than the sales for the previous year.

The government had allowed operations of fertiliser plants throughout the lockdown period to ensure that agriculture operations do not suffer on account of Covid-19 restrictions.

Planting of cotton has witnessed a 100% increase with 91.7 lakh hectares of farmland brought under cultivation, while maize has seen 96% increase in acreage to 45.58 lakh hectares as against 23.27 lakh hectare the previous year.