The crop weather watch group of the union agriculture ministry which met recently to study crop prospects in the current season held that this area coverage under wheat also included the unreported area of 0.25 million hectre under wheat in Jammu and Kashmir. The decline in area coverage under wheat in the current season is largely concentrated in Bihar.

The group stated that as the temperature during March, this year in wheat growing region had been ruling lower than the normal, it may be favourable for wheat crop.

However, a prolonged cool weather for another one or two weeks in April would have lead to a more positive impact. IMD reported that rain or snow has occurred at almost all places in Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh under the influence of two western disturbances which moved across northwest India during theweek ending April 15. Rain or thundershowers also occured at almost all places in Assam and Meghalaya and West Bengal and Sikkim, at many places in Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram and Tripura, south interior Karnataka and Kerala, at few places in Punjab, Bihar plateau and Lakshadweep and at one or two places in Haryana, plains of west UP, east MP, Orissa, Telangana, Vidharbha, coastal and north interior Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.During the week, the cumulative rainfall was normal to excess in 22 out of 35 meteorological sub-divisions. The day temperatures were above normal by 2 C to $ C in south peninsula and were below normal by 2 C to Pound C in some parts of northwest India.

The study group also noted that nursery sowings and transplanting of summer rice are in progress in southern, eastern and north-eastern states. An area of about 26.6 lakh hectre has been reported under summer rice cultivation, which is higher than 25.9 lakh hectre coverage in the corresponding period of the previous year.

The reportindicate that an area of about 56.7 lakh hectre has been covered under rabi jowar as against about 56.2 lakh hectre during the corresponding period of the previous year. The area under barley is reported to be about 8.4 lakh hectre which is slightly lower than the corresponding period last year. But area of about 4.9 lakh hectre has been covered under rabi maize which is same as during the corresponding period of the previous year.To sum up the overall area under coarse cereals during the current rabi season is around 72.54 lakh hectre which is higher than the normal level of about 70.5 lakh hectre. The crop situation of all the rabi coarse cereals is reported to be quite satisfactory.

The sowing of summer groundnut and summer sunflower is still in progress. The area coverage under rapeseed and mustard, which is the major rabi oilseed crop is reported to be 69.6 lakh hectre as against 66 lakh hectre during the corresponding period last year.

With the higher area coverage also reported for sunflower, theoverall coverage under rabi oilseeds is reported to be about 112.9 lakh hectre in the current season as against 106. lakh hectre during the corresponding period last year.

The area coverage under gram, the major rabi pulse crop is reported at 73.6 lakh hectre this year as against the coverage of 71.1 lakh hectre during the corresponding period last year. With sowing of summer pulses having been completed, the coverage under total rabi pulses this year so far is reported to be 133.5 lakh hectre which is higher than 131.3 lakh hectre covered during the corresponding period last year.

In general, the incidence of pests and diseases is reported at low ebb. There is also no shrtage of any commonly used pesticides in the country. The total live storage in 63 important reservoirs in different parts of the country is 59.38 TM Cum against 46.53 TM Cum during the corresponding period of the previous year and 43.68 TM Cum, the average of the last ten years. The current year's storage is nearly 4 per cent of thedesigned utilisable storage, 128 per cent of the last year's storage and 136 per cent of the average of the last ten years.

There are 3 projects having storage more than 80 per cent, 19 projects having storage between 50 and 80 per cent and 1 projects having storage more than 30 per cent and up to 50 per cent. The remaining 23 projects are having storage up to 30 per cent only.