Pune: This year's Kharif season has witnessed record sowing of soybean, maize, cotton, and tur crops. As of Wednesday (July 10), sowing has been completed on 11.638 million hectares, which is 81.94 per cent of the average.
Marathwada leads the way in sowing activities. According to the Agriculture Department, the total average Kharif area in the state is 14.2 million hectares.
By the end of Wednesday, sowing had been completed on 11.638 million hectares. The Pune division has the highest sowing, followed by Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar and Latur divisions.
In the Konkan division, 96,870 hectares have been sown, which is 23.42 per cent of the average. In the Nashik division, 1,657,788 hectares have been sown, which is 80.29 per cent of the average.
The Pune division has achieved 101.79 per cent of its average with 1,084,163 hectares. The Kolhapur division has completed 74.03 per cent of its average with 539,103 hectares.
Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar stands at 93.05 per cent with 1,944,826 hectares. The Latur division has reached 92.04 per cent with 2,546,683 hectares.
In the Amravati division, 2,758,446 hectares have been sown, making up 87.32 per cent of the average. The Nagpur division has reached 52.76 per cent with 1,010,154 hectares sown.
The sowing of maize, cotton, soybean, oilseeds, and pulses is progressing rapidly. Maize sowing has reached 101 per cent with 895,737 hectares. Tur sowing stands at 81 per cent with 1,054,406 hectares.
Urad dal sowing is at 82 per cent with 305,069 hectares. Soybean sowing has achieved 108 per cent with 4,487,844 hectares. Cotton sowing is at 90 per cent with 3,768,214 hectares. Overall, grain sowing is at 47 per cent, pulses at 75 per cent, and oilseeds at 105 per cent.
Due to widespread good rainfall, record sowing has been achieved by July 10th in the Kharif season. Sowing continues through August, and it is expected that the total Kharif sowing will exceed the average of 14.2 million hectares. Fertilizers and seeds are well available across the state, stated Vinaykumar Awate, Director of Agriculture, Extension, and Development.
