New Delhi: Farmers have increased cultivation of uradbean, cotton and bajra crops midway into the kharif crop planting season this year, a trend that traders and analysts attribute to firm prices of these commodities in the domestic market.
The total acreage under kharif crops increased by 15.47% in the past week with adequate rainfall in most parts of the country, agriculture ministry data showed. The total area under crops stood at 79.13 million hectares as of Friday, up 3.3% from 76.58 million hectares a year earlier.
“Farmers are switching to other crops due to poor realisation of some crops like soyabean, arhar and other lentils. Cotton price has been especially good with exports steady. Further, uradbean prices have not fallen as dramatically as tur or other lentils. Hence, we see an increase in planting of these crops,” said Prerana Desai, head of commodity research at Edelweiss Agri Value Chain Ltd.
The current price of Shankar 6 cotton variety is Rs 41,000-42,500 per candy of 356 kg in Gujarat, according to a trader in Rajkot. “Cotton farmers moved from soyabean, groundnut and pulses after their prices fell below the minimum support price level and the government had to intervene. Also, the trade expects China to import cotton from India as it has poor stock,” the trader said. Read more
The total acreage under kharif crops increased by 15.47% in the past week with adequate rainfall in most parts of the country, agriculture ministry data showed. The total area under crops stood at 79.13 million hectares as of Friday, up 3.3% from 76.58 million hectares a year earlier.
“Farmers are switching to other crops due to poor realisation of some crops like soyabean, arhar and other lentils. Cotton price has been especially good with exports steady. Further, uradbean prices have not fallen as dramatically as tur or other lentils. Hence, we see an increase in planting of these crops,” said Prerana Desai, head of commodity research at Edelweiss Agri Value Chain Ltd.
The current price of Shankar 6 cotton variety is Rs 41,000-42,500 per candy of 356 kg in Gujarat, according to a trader in Rajkot. “Cotton farmers moved from soyabean, groundnut and pulses after their prices fell below the minimum support price level and the government had to intervene. Also, the trade expects China to import cotton from India as it has poor stock,” the trader said. Read more