Rice sowing picks up as monsoon gathers pace

With ‘delayed’ rain lashing key rice producing states of Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and Orissa during last two weeks, it is good news atlast for the government as well as farmers.

The sowing activities have started in full swing in many parts of major rice-growing states. In the last two weeks, the monsoon have picked up but the progress has been uneven.

Chhattisgarh, which produced close to 9 million tonne rice of the total production of 99.37 million tonne during 2008-09, the sowing is in full swing, while there are several reports of flooding in many areas due to excessive rains.

?The situation has improved significantly due to sufficient rain received in the state during last few weeks,? Yogesh Agarwal, president, Chhattisgarh Rice Millers Association, told FE.

After almost drought like conditions prevailing in West Bengal in June, rain in some parts of the state has helped revive the sowing activities. In West Bengal, the biggest rice producing state with a production of more than 13 million tonne last year, more than one fourth of areas have started sowing activities.

?Even if we get more rains by end of July, we will match last year’s production target,? Sushil Kumar Choudhury, president, West Bengal Rice Miller Association, said.

Meanwhile, agriculture minister Sharad on Thursday said paddy sowing went up by 76% last week and ruled out possibility of shortfall in the acreage under the crop.

?In the last one week the improvement in paddy sowing is 76% compared with 51% in the previous week,? Pawar said at a seminar organized by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research.

Pawar, however, declined to comment on paddy production during the current Kharif season, saying that ‘It’s to early to say.’ According to a recent agriculture ministry data, the rice was sown in 7.4 million hectare till July 10.

In Orissa, which produced about 10% of the total rice production last year, the sowing has been completed in more than 33% of the 3.8 million hectare, a state agriculture department official said.

India is the world’s second largest rice producer accounting for more than 20% of all global production. According to the government’s third advance released few months back, the rice production is projected at record 99.37 million tonne during 2008-9. The country produced 96.69 million tonne of rice in 2007-08 season.