Monday, May 3, 2021
By Kavita Desai
MUMBAI – To encourage crop diversification, the Haryana government has set a lower rice acreage target for the current kharif season and increased the area under bajra, cotton and maize, say senior state government officials.
Over the past few years, the state government has been trying to convince farmers to plant other kharif crops since paddy cultivation requires far more water and leads to depletion of groundwater level.
The state government has reduced the rice acreage to 1.2 mln ha for the 2021-22 (Jul-Jun) kharif season, and instead increased the acreage under cotton to 762,000 ha and that under bajra to 570,000 ha. It has also increased kharif maize area to 50,000 ha, an official said.
"Paddy is a water-guzzling crop and requires water at frequent intervals compared to other crops. Paddy requires around 18-20 irrigations, while other kharif crops require 5-7 irrigations," said official.
The state government has promised farmers who switch to alternate crops an incentive of 7,000 rupees per acre under the Mera Pani-Meri Virasat Scheme.
Sowing of cotton has already started in the state and will continue till May 15. Transplanting of paddy in the fields will commence from Jun 15, the official said.
Sowing of the fibre in the irrigated areas of north India typically starts by late April. In the rain-fed regions of the country, farmers start sowing cotton in June. Around 70% of the area under cotton in India is dependent on monsoon rains.
Following are the targets for some major kharif crops sown in Haryana in 2021-22 (Jul-Jun), area in ha, compared with the actual area in 2020-21:
| Crops | 2021-22 kharif targeted area | 2020-21 kharif area |
| Rice | 1,200,000 | 1,527,600 |
| Maize | 50,000 | 6,630 |
| Bajra | 570,000 | 569,200 |
| Cotton | 762,000 | 739,600 |
| Sugarcane | 110,000 | 99,000 |
End
Edited by Ashish Shirke
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