Wheat sowing starts, to gather pace after cane fields vacated

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New Delhi: Sowing of wheat, the biggest foodgrain grown during the rabi season, has started in some parts of the country.

According to an official statement, the crop has been planted in around 25.7 lakh hectare till November 5, almost 9.4% less than the same period last year.

Experts believe that though wheat sowing has got off to a slow start this year, but still there is not much concern as the delay is mainly due to late harvesting of kharif crops.

“Insufficient monsoon has delayed the sowing and harvesting of the kharif crop, therefore rabi sowing will take time,” a leading wheat trader said. He added that more area will come under wheat when farmers vacate their sugarcane fields.

Meanwhile, the official data also showed area under the winter-sown rice has risen by almost 0.45 lakh hectares. The central government has been trying to increase the area under winter-sown rice across the country to compensate for the almost 15 million tonnes estimated shortfall in kharif rice output.

Sowing of rapeseed has also started on a weak note and till Thursday, around 3.48 lakh hectares of land has been brought under the crop as against 6.65 lakh hectares sown during the same period last year.