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Sowing of fall crops is off to a slow start across the country, especially in Maharashtra, as farmers work in the third and fourth week of July in hopes of good rains.
As of July 11, Maharashtra has received 227.3 mm of rain as against the normal rate of 314.2 mm that the state is expected to receive at this time of the year. Fifteen counties in the state received precipitation between 50-75 percent while six counties received normal or even excess rainfall.
The scarcity of rain prevents farmers from full sowing operations. The total sown area in the state as of July 11 is 66.67 hectares, which was 102.92 hectares during the same day last year. Cotton is the widely cultivated crop in the state with farmers cultivating the cotton crop on an area of ​​25.66 lakh hectares. Last year, 39.26 thousand hectares of acreage in the state was under cotton cultivation. Pulses, which covered 13.93 thousand hectares last year, were sown on an area of ​​6.96 thousand hectares.
There was also a decrease in the cultivation of coarse grains and oilseeds in the state compared to the area sown last year.
Sowing has been lagging behind in Marathawada and Vidharbha – the largest producers of pulses and oilseeds – as they have not yet received sufficient rain. In some cases, farmers have dusted some coarse grains such as millet against the advice of the Department of Agriculture.
After June, July is the most important month for Khareef as the sowing period for all major crops, such as pulses and oilseeds, ends by 30 July. After July, only short-term crops such as maize (maize) and others are recommended to be grown. Prolonged seeding of crops such as tur and soybeans is not recommended as it makes the crops more susceptible to disease. Last week, the central government held a meeting with state officials to review drought preparedness. During the meeting, it was said that county-level contingency plans have been prepared in consultation with state agricultural universities for sowing activities.
Sowings suffered across the country due to insufficient rain. For 445.94 hectares of the area that was sown on July 9, 2022, this year India reported 421.64 hectares of sowing. The country may be heading towards a drought or drought-like situation if it does not receive the expected amount of rain during the next two weeks of July.
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