India’s overall rabi crops acreage was up 12 per cent in the week ended November 21, with the area under wheat leading the show with a 19 per cent increase.
Data from the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare showed that the overall acreage was up at 306.31 lakh hectares (lh) compared with 272.78 lh a year ago. The normal coverage of rabi crops is 637.81 lh. By this weekend, at least 50 per cent of this normal coverage is expected to be completed.
There are two reasons for the higher rabi coverage. One is the good soil moisture with rain under the South-West monsoon continuing in October and the North-East monsoon bringing surplus rainfall until a hiatus in the first fortnight of November.
