Good rainfall boosts kharif sowing; 13% work completed in Nashik region

Pune/Nashik: Good rainfall across the state has significantly boosted kharif crop sowing activity, which reached over 22.4 lakh hectares compared to last year's 8.08 lakh hectares during the same time.With the exception of Kolhapur division, all others from the eight total agricultural divisions in Maharashtra saw an increase in sowing areas as of June 18. However, state agriculture officials noted that a brief pause in rainfall is necessary to provide farmers with the opportunity to prepare their fields for further sowing.Last year, erratic rainfall in June hampered sowing efforts across the state. In contrast, this year saw consistent rainfall since May, leading to a significant increase in sowing, particularly in the Marathwada and Vidarbha regions, which often face challenges during this period. "Kharif season sowing is on track. We are confident of achieving average sowing area — 144 lakh hectares — this year also. In fact, as per our assessment, it may reach more than that," Suraj Mandhare, state agriculture commissioner, told TOI.According to agriculture department records, the highest sowing has been reported in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar agriculture division, covering Latur, Dharashiv, Nanded, Parbhani, and Hingoli districts. "The division has recorded sowing on 5.53 lakh hectares as of today against last year's 2.41 lakh hectares," said an official in the know. In the Nashik region, kharif sowing operations have commenced across five districts following substantial rainfall. The North Maharashtra districts have achieved 13% completion of kharif sowing. The state agricultural department reports that sowing has been completed on 3.6 lakh hectares out of the projected 27.5 lakh hectares.The primary kharif crops cultivated in the Nashik region — comprising Nashik, Dhule, Jalgaon, Nandurbar, and Ahilyanagar districts — include maize, cotton, bajra, moong, urad, soyabean, paddy, jowar, and bajra. In terms of kharif sowing progress, Jalgaon leads with 17.3% completion of projected areas, followed by Ahilyanagar (14.7%), Dhule (15.1%), Nashik (7.3%), and Nandurbar (6.6%). Nashik district has completed sowing on 46,000 hectares of its estimated 6.4 lakh hectares. Dhule's projected kharif sowing acreage is 3.8 lakh hectares, with 57,000 hectares sown. Due to insufficient rain, Nandurbar district trails behind other districts in the region. With estimated kharif sowing acreage of 2.7 lakh hectares, 18,000 hectares have been sown.