Rabi Sowing Area to Exceed Last Year: Agri Secretary

New Delhi, Nov 24 (PTI) The government expects total area coverage under rabi (winter) crops like wheat to exceed the previous year's 655.88 lakh hectares, Agriculture Secretary Devesh Chaturvedi said on Monday.

"Rabi sowing is higher than last year's progress. There was a lot of rain. And in some areas because of the late harvesting, it's a bit delayed. But we hope that we will cover the rabi higher than last year," he told reporters on the sidelines of an event here.


According to official data, farmers have planted wheat, the main rabi crop, in 66.23 lakh hectare as on November 17 of this year, as against 56.55 lakh hectare in the year-ago period.

Pulses acreage has increased to 52.82 lakh hectare as against 48.93 lakh hectare, while oilseeds area increased to 15.53 lakh hectare from 13.50 lakh hectare in the said period.

Total area sown to all rabi crops remained higher at 208.19 lakh hectare as on November 17 of this year, as against 188.73 lakh hectare in the year-ago period.