Wheat sowing has increased 1.4 per cent to reach 320 lakh hectare (lh) until January 10 in the ongoing 2024-25 rabi season, which is higher than the planted area of 318.33 lh in the entire season in 2023-24.

Though the weekly area coverage was only 26,000 hectare during January 4-10 as against nil reported in its previous week, the possibility of adding more area under wheat is very less.

According to the agriculture ministry’s data released on Tuesday, wheat was sown in 315.63 lh in the year-ago period. Sowing of rabi crops, barring paddy is almost complete and farmers expect to begin harvesting of some early sown crops from March.

The production target has been set at 115 million tonnes (mt) in current year, as against record 113.29 mt in 2023-24 crop.

Pulses’ acreage almost flat at 139.81 lh as on January 10, compared with 139.11 lh in the year-ago period. However, the government may need to reconcile the year-ago data as last year’s Rabi season’s total pulses area was at 137.39 lh as per the final estimates.

The sowing of chana (Gram) has reached 96.65 lh, up by 1 per cent from 95.87 lh and masur (Lentil) at 17.43 lh, down by 1.9 per cent from 17.76 lh. However, sources said that there is no fall in masur acreage and the area is at same level as was in the entire year last year. There is some issues with year-ago data as last year it was collected manually and later on it was finalised based on other inputs, the sources said adding in the current season digital method has been applied to source data in many states.

Coarse and nutri-cereals acreage too (like pulses) is almost at par at 53.55 lh against 53.37 lh while maize area is up by 9.9 per cent at 22.37 lh from 20.36 lh and that of barkey is down 1.3 per cent at 6.62 lh from 6.71 lh.

Oilseeds area has dipped 4.9 per cent to 96.82 lh from 101.8 lh as India’s traditional Rabi grown oilseed mustard has reportedly sown in 88.5 lh, down by 5.6 per cent from 93.73 lh year-ago. Many mustard farmers are believed to have shifted to wheat on weather concern during mid-November.

Total area under all rabi crops this year has reached 632.27 lh as on January 10 from 631.44 lh year ago. Winter paddy acreage is 2.6 per cent higher at 22.09 lh from 21.53 lh and it may further expand as there was 40.76 lh area covered in the entire winter season in 2023-24.