New Delhi, Nov 6 (PTI) There is enough time and it is too early to talk about sowing in the

New Delhi, Nov 6 (PTI) There is enough time and it is too early to talk about sowing in the

New Delhi, Nov 6 (PTI) There is enough time and it is too early to talk about sowing in the

New Delhi, Nov 6 (PTI) There is enough time and it is too early to talk about sowing in the ongoing rabi season, a senior agriculture ministry official said on Friday, seeking to allay concerns over the decline in acreage so far.

     However, the government, for the first time, has prepared a contingency plan to address any concerns related to the fall in acreage.

     As per the government data, the total acreage was down 46 per cent at 37.56 lakh hectare as of October 30, compared to 69.02 lakh hectare in the year-ago period.

     Wheat, the principal rabi crop, was sown over just 19,000 hectare, against 3.34 lakh hectare last year. In the 2025-26 crop year (July-June), wheat was planted on 336 lakh hectare.

     Rabi (winter-sown) season is usually in October-November, while harvesting of crops is undertaken in March and April.

     “It is too early to talk about rabi sowing. There is enough time. Sowing can be undertaken till December,” an official said, while allaying any concern regarding the fall in acreage so far.

     The official said the current month is crucial for the progress of the sowing operation.

     In view of deficient monsoon in some parts of the country and lack of moisture content, the ministry has prepared a contingency plan for 225 districts, but the same is dynamic and keeps changing with improvement in weather conditions, the official said.

     The government is also preparing a soil health policy, which could be announced in the next 3-4 months, as part of its effort to reduce usage of chemical fertilisers.

     The official said the efforts are being made to reduce the dependence on cooking oil imports.

     On stubble burning, the official said that the number of incidents has reduced sharply in both Haryana and Punjab and mentioned that the burning of crop residue is not a major factor for pollution in Delhi-NCR.

     Chairing a review meeting on Monday, Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan had directed officials to expedite rabi sowing immediately after the kharif harvest, making optimal use of the available residual moisture.

     Farmers in areas with limited irrigation water should be encouraged to opt for crops that require less water and have lower input costs, such as chana (chickpea), mustard, masoor (lentil) and millets, he had said.

     Chouhan also asked that climate-resilient and heat-tolerant seeds developed by agricultural scientists be made available to farmers, in view of fluctuations in temperature.

     The ministry said there were adequate stocks of urea, DAP, MOP and NPK, along with certified seeds for the rabi season and that supply chains were being managed in coordination with states down to the district level.

     According to the weekly data, area under pulses stood at 9.45 lakh hectare, down from 19.56 lakh hectare. Gram acreage fell to 5.90 lakh hectare from 14.35 lakh hectare.

     Oilseeds were sown over 20.97 lakh hectare, compared to 38.62 lakh hectare a year ago. Within this, rapeseed and mustard covered 20.50 lakh hectare, against 38.07 lakh hectare.

     Coarse cereals were sown over 3.78 lakh hectare, marginally lower than 4.22 lakh hectare last year, while winter-sown paddy covered 3.16 lakh hectare, compared to 3.29 lakh hectare.

     Experts attributed the delay in sowing to the 13 per cent deficient June-September monsoon, which reduced residual soil moisture before sowing began.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)