Cotton sowing acreage high, but paddy low in Gujarat this season

The latest sowing figure is marginally higher than 2.55 lh reported during the corresponding period last year. However, it is just 30.57 per cent of the average 8.35 lh. “Paddy is planted in July and goes on till the first week of August. So, there is some time left for sowing this season. That said, paddy is a water-intensive crop and therefore we have been encouraging farmers to go for crop diversification while reducing area under paddy,” SJ Solanki, directorate of agriculture of Gujarat (DAG) said,

“Traditional paddy cultivators are now diverting their land to cultivation of pulses and oilseeds,” Solanki added.

Meanwhile, Agriculture Minister Raghavji Patel told reporters that surveys have been launched to assess damage to standing crops and farmers land due to heavy rainfall last week.

According to the latest data available with the state government, farmers had completed Kharif sowing in 55.41 lakh hectare (lh) as of July 18.
This represents 64.20 per cent of the last three years’ annual Kharif sowing area but marginally lower as compared to 57.20 lh sown during the corresponding period last year.

Of the 55.41 lh, farmers have sown cotton crop in 23.11 lh which is higher than the last season’s mark of 22.45 lh and 96.30 per cent of the last three year’s average sowing area of 24 lh.

Saurashtra region’s 11 districts account for 16.82 lh of the area brought under cotton cultivation so far while central Gujarat and north Gujarat regions have reported cotton sowing in 2.30 lh and 1.92 lh respectively.

Surat, Narmada and Bharuch districts in south Gujarat make the balance 1.41 lh cotton acreage.

The surge in cotton sowing area comes on the back of record high prices of cotton in agricultural produce market committee (APMC) mandis in the state in the cotton marketing season 2021-22. As compared to the previous season’s average price of around Rs 6,000 per quintal, farmers had realised more than double that price in 2021-22.

Gujarat is the largest cotton producer of India and the acreage of this crop had touched 30 lh in year 2011-12 as farmers got increasingly higher prices and adoption of Bt variety boosted yields. However, the acreage has been declining since then mainly due to the Bt variety becoming susceptible to pink bollworm pests, which is leading to dwindling yields, and increasing labour costs.

Groundnut, another major cash crop in Gujarat has been sown in 15.62 lh, the second largest area after cotton.

The 15.62 lh is around 85 percent of the last three years’ average sowing area of 18.42 lh but sizably lower as compared to last year’s corresponding figure of 17.64 lh. Incidentally, edible oil prices also touched historic heights this year and are still ruling very high.

Soybean, an oilseed crop, has registered that highest growth so far this season in sowing area.

Farmers have sown soybean in 1.86 lh so far, which is marginally lower than the last year’s corresponding figure of 2 lh but 17 per cent higher as compared to the last three year’s average sowing area of 1.57 lh.

The DAG further said that the spell of heavy rainfall last week has caused damage in central and south Gujarat regions while elsewhere, it has largely been benevolent.

Rashmikant Patel (40), a resident of Bamanvel village in Chikhli taluka of Navsari district, had to face a great loss as his agricultural fields is on the banks of Kaveri river.

Patel has 22 bigah agricultural land where he grows brinjals, sugarcane and paddy.

“Vegetable crops like brinjal and ladies finger and paddy crops were damaged as water from Kaveri river came into my fields. The crop was at fruition stage and now it is completely washed out. We have intimated the village sarpanch. The survey team from the agriculture department of Navsari district collector office had noted down the details of damage of crops. We hope that we get compensation from the government,” Patel told The Indian Express.

Patel added that he has taken loan of Rs 50,000 from his friends for farming and will have to sell some jewellery to repay the loan.

In Viraval village of Navsari taluka, Ramesh Patel (51), has grown ladies finger, brinjal, sugarcane on his 12 bigah of land. He hoped to get his daughter married from the sales of the produce, but his fields were washed out by the flood in the Purna river .

“Our entire fields were submerged in the floodwater. We have also filled the forms to get compensation amount from the government.”, Ramesh said.

Mahesh Desai (55), a resident of Pardi village in Valsad taluka, said, “My mango orchard got damaged due to floods. Our fields are on the outskirts of Valsad town and nearby the city waste dumping centre on the banks of Auranga river. Due to the floods in Auranga river, the water and waste from the disposal site entered into our orchard.”

Meanwhile, the Gujarat government has begun a survey in eight districts to estimate the losses caused to farmers this monsoon.

Addressing media persons Tuesday, State Agriculture Minister Raghavji Patel said, “Due to heavy rain, agricultural land and crops have been washed away in districts of South and Central Gujarat and a couple of districts in Saurashtra. We have ordered the district-level officers of the agricultural department to conduct a survey of the losses.”

The survey have been ordered in Dang, Navsari, Valsad, Chotta Udepur, Narmada, parts of Bharuch, Gir Somnath and Junagadh.

“As flood waters have receded from the farms and transportation has been restored, our officers have already begun the work of surveying the losses and a report will be submitted soon,” he added.

When asked how the state government plans to compensate the farmers for their losses, the minister said, “The government will decide on the mode of compensation once the survey is completed. Farmers can be compensated under provisions of SRDF (State Disaster Response Fund) or Mukhyamantri Kisan Sahay Yojana (MKSY).”