Covid-19 might have hit all the economic sectors badly, but luck is favouring Indian agriculture sector this year as there has been 95 per cent equal distribution of rainfall all over the country. Along with historic sowing, and timely rains agricultural experts are predicting bumper crop this year.
“I, in my lifetime, have never seen so many factoring favouring agriculture,” said former director general of Indian Council for Agriculture Mangla Rai. “I do not remember ever before monsoon was so proportionately distributed, well precipitated and timely. Rains poured when it needed the most except some areas of Himachal Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir region. But these areas are negligible. Lastly, this year sowing areas broke all records~ 1,062.93 lakh hectares,” former DG ICAR said.
“There is no doubt we are getting wonderful reports of sowing from all parts of the country and if all goes well, this year will have bumper crops,” said Shiraj Hussain, former Union agriculture secretary.
“Farmers got a good price for almost all crops except gram and cotton,” Hussain added.
“India is blessed this year. We are excepting very good price of crops in the international market, he added.
According to Agriculture Ministry, the total Kharif crops have been sown on 1,062.93 lakh hectare area against 979.15 lakh hectare during the corresponding period last year, thus increase in area coverage by 8.56 per cent.
According to Hussain, rice sowing increased by 11.71per cent. Similarly, sowing of pulses increased by 6.77 per cent.