Urad crop regions across India are witnessing improved weather conditions in contrast to other Kharif pulses, barring a few Urad growing districts in Madhya Pradesh that were hit by floods last week. However, areas including Rewa, Panna, and Tikamgarh still need more rainfall for better crop development.
As reported by the Ministry of Agriculture, Urad cultivation has decreased by 4.5%, with the current acreage standing at 28 lakh hectares. Farmers in various regions are shifting their preference towards crops like soybean and paddy in Rajasthan, maize and soybean in Madhya Pradesh, and groundnut in Uttar Pradesh.
This shift is observed in the wake of delayed monsoons and a lower return from Kharif Urad over the previous 3-4 years. Excessive rains have previously negatively impacted the standing crops, with yields hitting multi-year lows. This led to a significant reduction in Urad cultivation across key producing states.
Farmers in major growing districts are exploring other viable options such as soybean, maize, cotton, and tur, resulting in a steady decrease in Urad cultivation. Current projections expect the Urad acreage to remain lower by 7-8% due to acreage decreases in major Urad growing states such as Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Maharashtra.
Ground updates confirm that, despite the acreage decrease, the Urad crop conditions remain favourable, with the crop currently in its vegetative phase.