Area under rabi cultivation is likely to see a record increase this year due to the shifting of the unsown area from the kharif season to rabi cultivation. As against the original target of 4.80 lakh hectares fixed earlier, the area under Rabi cultivation this year is likely to be nearly 8 lakh hectares.
Officials in the Agriculture Department told The Hindu here on Wednesday that the department was redrawing its plans for the rabi season and fixing the targets of different crop.
Preparations were also underway to augment the stocks of the required quantity of seeds of different crops as per the demands of the farming community due to the increased area. All eyes are on the rain, for farmers to take up Rabi sowing in time.
Early rain would help farmers take up the land preparations and the early sowing of rabi crops.
The district has received sporadic rain in few parts of the district giving hopes of a good rabi season. The overall deficit of rain from the beginning of the south West Monsoon from June to August 17 was 48 per cent.
As against the normal average rainfall of 351.3 mm, the district received only 182.4 mm. Afzalpur taluk has been the worst hit with only 92.9 mm of rain as against the normal average rainfall of 278.4 mm during the period.
The shift of the unsown khariff area to the rabi crops this year would be more than 1.75 lakh hectares as per the present expectations of the agriculture department and if here was good rains, the area under the rabi would see further increase. The farmers are likely to go for bengal gram and jowar.
Source : The Hindu
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