Kharif sowing picking up across the country

New Delhi, July 6 (UNI) Sowing of Kharif crops is progressing well throughout the country, according to data available with the Agriculture Ministry here.

The total coverage of rice has gone up to 46.02 lakh hectare as compared to 31.64 lakh hectare last Friday, the weekly Crop Weather Watch Group meeting of the Ministry of Agriculture was informed here today.

However, the rice acreage was 47.72 lakh hectare at this time last year.

Transplanting of rice is in progress in Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Orissa, Punjab, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttarakhand and West Bengal.

Total coarse cereals cover an area of 60.78 lakh ha hectare compared to 20.78 lakh hectare last Friday and 58.48 lakh in the corresponding period last year.

Cotton has been sown in 59.6 lakh hectare (last Friday: 15.29 lakh hectare and last year: 37 lakh hectare). Out of this, 23.36 lakh hectare is under BT cotton.

Sugarcane coverage is reported to be 45.16 lakh hectare (last Friday: 44.72 lakh hectare last year: 46.13 lakh hectare) and jute, 7.88 lakh hectare (last Friday: 7.86 lakh hectare last year: 8.18 lakh hectare).

The total coverage of oilseeds so far has been 42.27 lakh hectare (last Friday: 13.04 lakh hectare; last year: 32.63 lakh hectare).

Pulses have occupied 26.84 lakh hectare land so far as compared to 11.35 lakh hectare last Friday and 26.57 lakh hectare at this time last year, an Agriculture Ministry release here said.

UNI