Coronavirus | Despite lockdown hurdles, sowing of summer crops up

Pulses also see significant increase in early sowing despite lockdown limitations

Madurai, Tamil Nadu, 02/04/2020. At a time when everyone is concerned about their health amidst COVID-19 outbreak all over the world, here is a group of farm hands near Chinthamani in Madurai indulging in farming operations like preparing their fields, weeding out, and readying paddy seedlings for transplantation without maintaining social distance or wearing any face mask and risking their lives. Awareness should be created among them to stay at home until self-curfew period is over. Photo: G. Moorthy/ The Hindu

Early sowing of the summer rice crop has covered 37% more area than the same time the previous year, despite the COVID-19lockdown limitations, the Agriculture Ministry data shows. This is the pre-monsoon sowing of paddy, with the major kharif crop sowing to be done after the rains begin in June.

Overall sowing of summer crops including rice, pulses, coarse cereals and oil seeds is about 31% higher than usual. In total, 48.8 lakh hectares have been sown so far.

The Centre has exempted agricultural activity from the lockdown restrictions and has also taken steps to ensure availability of fertilizers and pesticides for the coming season.

So far, more than 32 lakh hectares of rice have been sown across the country, mostly in eastern India, including 11.3 lakh hectares in West Bengal, 7.5 lakh hectares in Telangana, 3 lakh hectares in Odisha and 2.7 lakh hectares in Assam. This is more than a third higher than the 23.8 lakh hectares sown with rice during the same period last year.

Pulses have also seen a significant increase in early sowing, with more acreage covered in green gram and black gram. Overall, there was a 32% jump from about 3 lakh hectares to 4 lakh hectares.

The growth in oilseeds is more modest with a 12% increase in sowing area to 6.7 lakh hectares. Most of the hike comes from more land sown with groundnuts.

Among coarse cereals, more maize and bajra have been sown than in the previous year resulting in a 27% jump to 5.6 lakh hectares under cultivation.