Gandhinagar: Gujarat Agriculture Minister Raghavji Patel said on Tuesday that widespread and timely rainfall across the state has led to enthusiastic kharif sowing by farmers. So far, the state has received around 63% of its average seasonal rainfall, and kharif crops have been sown on 66 lakh hectares of land in the state, with cotton and groundnut crops topping the chart.

The minister expressed hope that this year’s timely and good rainfall would result in an increase in the sown area and higher yields for farmers.

Giving details of kharif sowing till July 30, Minister Patel said that around 66 lakh hectares have been covered so far this season. Against the usual total kharif sowing area of 85 lakh hectares (based on the last three years’ average), the state has already achieved over 77% of the area.

Highlighting Gujarat’s leading position in cotton and groundnut production nationally, the minister said that these two crops see the highest sowing during the kharif season. This year too, farmers have sown cotton on over 20 lakh hectares and groundnut on over 20 lakh hectares.

The minister noted that groundnut cultivation has been increasing year after year in Gujarat. The state usually sees groundnut sowing on about 17.50 lakh hectares, which rose to 18.82 lakh hectares last year. This year, groundnut sowing has already reached 115% of the average sowing area — and is likely to increase further.

In total, oilseeds (including groundnut) have been sown on over 24.25 lakh hectares so far, about 1 lakh hectares more than last year. Additionally, cereals have been sown on more than 9.79 lakh hectares, pulses on over 2.52 lakh hectares, and fodder crops on over 6.46 lakh hectares.

Minister Patel added that with timely rainfall in most districts, farmers have planted a variety of kharif crops including cotton, groundnut, castor, sesame, soybean, rice, and jowar. He further expressed confidence that kharif sowing will continue to gain pace and that the total area under cultivation is expected to increase further in the coming weeks. DeshGujarat