NEW DELHI: With 4-5 days still to go for sowing operation of rabi crops, the country is looking at the prospect of having the highest acreage of winter crops in the past five years. Adding to the good news, rains in some parts of the country in the past couple of days could also mean a better yield situation as well.Latest sown area data, released by the agriculture ministry on Friday , seems to indicate that the fear of demonetisation leading to a drop in farm yields due to cash-strapped farmers inability to access inputs was largely unfounded. It clearly shows that the acreage of major rabi crops (wheat and pulses) has not only crossed the corresponding figures of last year but also beat the `normal' (expected under positive conditions) sown area of the season.Total rabi sown area as on Friday stands at 637.34 lakh hectares as compared to 600.02 lakh hectares at this time last year (over 6% higher). It has almost touched the `normal' rabi sown area (638.37 lakh ha) in what could be a clear sign that the sowing operation was not affected by the note ban the way it was feared in mid-November.“Farmers do not need to depend on the market to buy their entire requirement of seeds. The sown area under wheat stands at 315.55 lakh hectares as compared to its `normal' area of 304.05 lakh hectares.

Source: Economic Times January 28, 2017 05:53 UTC