Sowing area in Marathwada down by 7% amid rainfall deficit
Marathwada's cultivation area has shrunk by nearly 3.5 lakh hectares this year. Rainfall is 20.3 percent below average, impacting the region's agriculture significantly. Cotton and sugarcane acreage have dropped sharply, while farmers shift crops. Soybean, maize, and sunflower cultivation has seen an increase. This shift reflects adaptation to current weather conditions and market demands.
Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar - Marathwada's cultivation area has contracted by 7% this year due to a rainfall deficit of 20.3%, according to government figures. The sown land now totals 46.19 lakh hectares, 2 lakh hectares less than the previous year and 7% below the five-year average of 49.72 lakh hectares. Marathwada, made up of 8 districts, received only 479.1 mm of rain, 20.3% less than the anticipated 586.1 mm.
The shortfall is most pronounced in Parbhani (34.7%) and Latur (40.6%). Cash crops have been hit hardest, with cotton acreage falling by 2.65 lakh hectares to 12.14 lakh hectares and sugarcane cultivation plummeting to a mere 43,821 hectares. Farmers have turned to soybean, maize, and sunflower, with the former up 12%, maize up 5%, and sunflower up 39%.
Written by urgent.news from The Economic Times - Economy's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
