Kharif crop sowing crosses 406 lakh hectare area

           The total sown area as on 8^th July, 2016 as per reports received from States, stands at 406.27 lakh hectare as compared to 431.82 lakh hectare at this time last year.

            It is reported that rice has been sown/transplanted in 81.93 lakh ha, pulses in 45.94 lakh ha, coarse cereals in 75.02 lakh ha, oilseeds in 82.28 lakh ha, sugarcane in 45.78 lakh hectare and cotton in 67.89 lakh ha.

             The details of the area covered so far and that covered during this time last year are given below:

                                                                                                                              Lakh hectare 

Crop	Area sown in 2016-17	Area sown in 2015-16
Rice	81.93	77.31
Pulses	45.94	36.44
Coarse Cereals	75.02	77.80
Oilseeds	82.28	101.15
Sugarcane	45.78	43.68
Jute & Mesta	7.43	7.61
Cotton	67.89	87.83
Total	406.27	431.82