NEW DELHI, Aug 5: The groundnut production may decline by 22 per cent to 40 lakh tonnes in the kharif (summer) season due to poor rains, which has led to a decline in sowing area of the crop, an industry body said.
Besides drop in sowing area, the productivity of the crop is also expected to be affected due to delay in sowing and lack of rains after planting of the crop in the major growing states of Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Maharashtra.
“The decline in groundnut area in this season will affect the output, which may go down to 40 lakh tonnes from about 51 lakh tonnes in Kharif 2011,” Solvent Extractors Association of India (SEA) Executive Director B V Mehta told.
The delay in sowing and deficient rains will affect the production of groundnuts, especially in Gujarat’s Saurashtra region, which accounts for one-third of the total kharif output, he added.
According to GGN Research Managing Partner G G Patel the total area under the oilseed may decline by 15 per cent to 36.53 lakh hectares in the current kharif season due to poor monsoon rains.
“In view of the deficient and late rains, groundnut area could go down by 15 per cent as sowing in Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Karnataka has been affected,” Patel said.
As mush as 42.98 lakh hectares of area was under the crop in 2011 kharif season.
So far in the ongoing kharif season, the area under groundnut has declined by 18 per cent to 28.78 lakh hectares as against 35.44 lakh hectares.
In Gujarat, the oilseed was sown in 9.88 lakh hectares as of August 2 this kharif from 13.10 lakh hectares in the same period of last kharif season, while acreage in Maharashtra declined to 1.62 lakh hectares from 1.74 lakh hectares in the same period.
Groundnut area in Karnataka fell to 2.17 lakh hectares so far in the current kharif season from 3.55 lakh hectares in the year-ago period, whereas in Andhra Pradesh the area was reported down at 6.89 lakh hectares as compared to 8.18 lakh hectares in the same period. (PTI)
Trending Now
E-Paper
Follow our WhatsApp channel