The landscape of rural Haryana is set to turn golden this winter as mustard cultivation reaches new heights. The Agriculture Department today confirmed that the sowing window has closed with record participation from farmers.
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Expansion Statistics: The total area under mustard has jumped by approximately 10%, with southern districts like Mahendragarh, Rewari, and Bhiwani leading the surge. Significant increases were also noted in the “semi-arid” belts of Hisar and Sirsa.
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Drivers of Growth:
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Market Incentives: Strong Minimum Support Price (MSP) and private market rates above MSP last year motivated farmers to shift from wheat to oilseeds.
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Water Efficiency: Mustard requires significantly less water than wheat, making it a preferred choice in districts facing groundwater depletion.
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Weather Factor: The timely dip in night temperatures in early November (like the 8°C recorded in Narnaul) provided the ideal “chilling” requirement for early growth.
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Seed Distribution: Over 80% of the seeds used this season were high-yielding varieties (HYV) and hybrids, which are expected to boost the overall oil content and productivity per acre.
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Fertilizer Management: Despite initial concerns, the department stated that the supply of DAP (Di-ammonium Phosphate) was managed effectively through a “pro-rata” distribution system to ensure no farmer was left without essential nutrients during the sowing peak.
