Rabi sowing: Wheat, pulses acreage up despite notes ban

Cash crunch due to demonetisation of high value notes notwithstanding, sowing area under wheat has risen 14 per cent to 174 lakh hectares while that of pulses is up 13 per cent to 113 lakh hectares so far in the current Rabi (winter-sown) season, propped by good monsoon and higher support price.

However, the acreage of paddy and coarse cereals is lower than last year.

"As per preliminary reports received from the States, the total area sown under Rabi crops as on 2nd December, 2016 stands at 415.53 lakh hectares as compared to 382.84 lakh hectare this time in 2015.

Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh said there has been no impact of demonetisation of Rs 500 and Rs 1000 notes on the sowing operations of rabi crops.

He said wheat, pulses and oilseeds are the major rabi crops and their acreage are higher than last year.

Paddy is not the major crop for Rabi season, he added.

Wheat has been sown/transplanted in 173.93 lakh hectares so far this rabi season from 152.56 lakh hectares in the same period last year.

Pulses acreage has grown to 112.95 lakh hectares from 99.83 lakh hectares. Oilseeds sowing area has risen to 70.7 lakh hectares from 64.21 lakh hectares.

Paddy acreage has fallen however to 13.37 lakh hectares so far this rabi season from 14.84 lakh hectares in the same period last year. Coarse cereals sowing area, too, dropped to 44.59 lakh hectares from 51.4 lakh hectares.