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Farmers in India have sown rabi crops across 620.62 lakh hectares as of Friday, an increase of 4.4 per cent year-on-year from the previous cropping season, Union farm ministry data showed.
During the same period last year, the total acreage was 594.62 lakh hectares. The increase in crop area is across all crops with the highest in wheat. Out of the 25.99 lakh hectares increase in all rabi crops, the increase in wheat area is 9.65 lakh hectares from 302.61 to 312.26 lakh hectares. Though the sowing of rabi crops is still under progress, the area brought under wheat this year (312.26) till 23-12-2022 is more than the normal rabi sown area (304.47) and the total sown area of last year (304.70). The agriculture ministry said the rise in the wheat area is assuring in the background of the crisis faced by the world for wheat availability due to the Russia-Ukraine war and for India's own food security. Record production of wheat is also expected this year. In the oilseeds group, rapeseed and mustard contributed the maximum in increasing the oilseed area during this Rabi season. Mustard area increased by 7.32 lakh hectares from 85.35 lakh hectares in 2021-22 to 92.67 lakh hectares in 2022-23. Out of 8.20 lakh hectares increase in area under oilseeds, rapeseed and mustard alone accounted for 7.32 lakh hectares. "Implementation of Special Mustard Mission for last 2 years is mainly responsible for the renewed interest of farmers in the cultivation of mustard," the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare said in a statement on Friday. The ministry said timely supply of quality seeds, among others, are a few of such interventions taken to increase agricultural production and productivity and these interventions have contributed to the large increase in area under rabi crops this year. (ANI)
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