Mustard seed sowing up 22%; wheat slightly down this rabi season, says Agriculture Ministry
According to the data, total area under oilseeds has increased sharply to 97.07 lakh hectare as on December 31, 2021 from 80.64 lakh hectare
Area sown under rapeseed/mustard seed crop is higher 22.46% to 88.54 lakh hectare, while the coverage under wheat crop remains slightly lower so far in the ongoing 2021-22 rabi season, according to the latest data released by the agriculture ministry.
Wheat, the main rabi crop, has been planted at 325.88 lakh hectare as on Friday, compared with 329.11 lakh hectare in the year-ago period, it said.
Sowing of rabi crops like wheat begins in October and harvesting from April onwards.
According to the data, total area under oilseeds has increased sharply to 97.07 lakh hectare as on December 31, 2021 from 80.64 lakh hectare in the year-ago period.
Among oilseeds, rapeseed and mustard seed were covered in a maximum area of about 88.54 lakh hectare in the period under review as against 72.30 lakh hectare in the year-ago period. Area sown under groundnut remained flat at 3.64 lakh hectare, linseed at 2.57 lakh hectare, sunflower at 1.01 lakh hectare, safflower at 0.68 lakh hectare, sesamum at 0.30 lakh hectare, and other oilseeds at 0.33 lakh hectare in the period, the data showed.
Rise in the area under mustard seed crop is a positive sign for a country that depends on imports to meet 60% of its domestic requirement and is struggling to keep retail prices under check amid a global price rise situation.
