Significant rise in Sowing Area Coverage of Summer Crops
Growing of summer crops is an old practice in India particularly for meeting the additional domestic requirement of food grains and feeding livestock. This summer season has seen a significant rise in the acreages due to sufficient soil moisture availability.
The Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare took several measures to allow the farming activities to be carried on in the rural areas during lockdown.
Sowing Area Coverage of Summer Crops is as follows:
- Rice: About 34.80 lakh ha area coverage under summer rice as compared to 25.26 lakh ha during the corresponding period of last year.
- Pulses: About 8.77 lakh ha area coverage under pulses as compared to 5.44 lakh ha. during the corresponding period of last year.
- Course Cereals: About 9.12 lakh ha area coverage under coarse cereals as compared to 5.49 lakh ha. during the corresponding period of last year.
- Oilseeds: About 8.87 lakh ha area coverage under oilseeds as compared to 7.00 lakh ha. during the corresponding period of last year.
The Department of Agriculture, Cooperation and Farmers Welfare, Government of India is taking several measures to facilitate the farmers and farming activities at field level during the lockdown period in the wake of Covid 19 pandemic. Under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) Scheme during the lockdown period from 24.3.2020 till date, about 9.06 crore farmer families have been benefitted and an amount of Rs. 18,134 crore has been released so far.
