Overall rabi coverage down 0.7% at 673.49 lakh hectares as pulses, rice area trails Led by higher acreage in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh, wheat acreage has gone past last year’s coverage for the first time this rabi season. It had been trailing until now. This development will, potentially, help the Government to achieve the targetted 114 million tonnes of wheat production. However, all stakeholders are keeping their fingers crossed on the weather as there has been 1-2 degrees Celsius above normal maximum temperature in many places of Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Rajasthan over the past two days.Wheat acreage was 336.96 lakh hectares (lh) as of January 12 compared with 335.67 lh in the corresponding period a year ago. Uttar Pradesh has reported the sowing of the key winter cereal on 101.41 lh against 97.12 lh a year ago, up by 4.4 per cent. It has helped offset the lower coverage in Rajasthan and Maharashtra. The acreage in Punjab and Haryana is almost at par with last year.“There is no cause for concern if day temperature is 1-2 degree Celsius higher as long as the night is cooler. The cold conditions at night and sunshine during the day is good for the wheat crop,” said Gyanendra Singh, Director of Karnal-based Indian Institute of Wheat and Barley Research (IIWBR) under Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR).
