Gandhinagar: With the official onset of the monsoon in Gujarat, Agriculture Minister Raghavjibhai Patel stated that farmers have commenced sowing kharif crops across Gujarat, including Kutch and Saurashtra, in response to the favorable rainfall in the past week. The minister expressed optimism that timely rainfall will lead to an increase in the cultivated area and result in bountiful yields for the farmers.

Providing details of the sowing progress until July 3 this year, the Agriculture Minister highlighted that kharif crop sowing has witnessed an increase of approximately 10 lakh hectares compared to last year, thanks to widespread rains in the state. Currently, kharif crops have been sown in a total of 40.46 lakh hectares of land across the state, whereas the corresponding figure for the same period last year stood at 30.20 lakh hectares. Considering the average of the past three years, the sown area accounts for 47.07 percent of the total cultivated area in the state, which amounts to 85.97 lakh hectares.

Furthermore, Minister Patel emphasized that Gujarat is the leading producer of cotton in the country, with the highest cultivation of cotton during the kharif season. This year, cotton has already been sown in a total of 20.25 lakh hectares, representing an increase of around 5 lakh hectares compared to the same period last year.

The minister also noted that Oil seed (telebia) crops have been extensively planted in the state, following cotton. Currently, a total of 15.11 lakh hectares of land is dedicated to telebia crops in Gujarat, surpassing the 11.02 lakh hectares recorded during the same period last year. The cultivation of oilseed crops has also witnessed an increase of approximately 4 lakh hectares. Groundnut, the primary telebia crop in the state, has been abundantly sown, with a total of 13.28 lakh hectares dedicated to it so far, reflecting an increase of around 3 lakh hectares compared to last year’s 10.14 lakh hectares.

Farmers have commenced the sowing of kharif crops, including cotton, groundnut, castor, sesame, soybean, paddy, and jowar, in most districts of the state. The cultivated area has witnessed an increase of approximately 10 lakh hectares compared to last year, and there is still significant potential for further expansion as the kharif season progresses, added the minister. DeshGujarat