Surplus seed stock signals bright prospects for 2023-24 rabi crop season

The Agriculture Ministry has revealed that there is a surplus of seeds available for the upcoming 2023-24 rabi (winter) season, particularly for crops like wheat. According to their data, the estimated seed availability for this season is 159.03 lakh quintals, which is 20.70 per cent higher than the nation's overall requirement, which stands at 131.75 lakh quintals.

The sowing of rabi crops typically commences in October, with harvesting beginning in March/April, and wheat being the primary crop in this season.

Wheat seed surplus

The ministry's data indicates that the availability of wheat seeds for the upcoming rabi season is estimated at 123.43 lakh quintals, surpassing the requirement of 102.63 lakh quintals for this year.

Similarly, the availability of sorghum seeds is expected to be 1.04 lakh quintals for the rabi season, exceeding the requirement of 0.74 lakh quintals.

Regarding rabi pulses, there is an ample supply of chickpea seeds at 25.04 lakh quintals, compared to the demand of 21.38 lakh quintals. Additionally, the supply of black gram seeds is projected to be 1.49 lakh quintals, exceeding the 1.14 lakh quintals required for the season.

The availability of lentil seeds is estimated to be 2.88 lakh quintals during this year's rabi season, surpassing the requirement of 2.29 lakh quintals. Similarly, the supply of green gram seeds will be 1.45 lakh quintals, exceeding the demand of 0.94 lakh quintals.

For rapeseed-mustard seeds, the availability will be 3.70 lakh quintals during the rabi season, compared to the requirement of 2.63 lakh quintals.

Climate-resilient crop initiative

In light of climate change challenges, the Agriculture Ministry has encouraged farmers to opt for climate-resilient crops during the rabi season. The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) has developed over 800 varieties of climate-resilient crops to support this initiative.

(With PTI Inputs)