Aurangabad, Dec 9:
Rabi season cultivation area in the district is 1.48 lakh hectare and till date sowing has been done on 1.15 lakh hectare which is 66.80 percent of the average area. Sowing was done on 1.69 lakh (97 per cent) hectare in Jalna district and 2.96 lakh (105 per cent) hectare in Beed district as compared to Aurangabad, said divisional joint director, Dr Dinkar Jadhav.
While the average sown area of rabi sorghum was higher in Aurangabad district, only 17,498 hectare (33 per cent) was sown. In Beed district, the presence of army larvae on sorghum is seen in the initial stage, in Aurangabad district, the current state of sorghum germination is good and this has given some relief to the farmers. Wheat cultivation is highest at 44,664 hectares (102 per cent). Maize cultivation on 17,698 hectares is one and a half times more than the average. Farmers are turning more towards gram and soybean cultivation. The area under Safflower in the district has come down to 3 per cent and since sunflower is getting more preference from the farmers, sowing has been done on 1856 hectare till now. This planting is 30 times more than the average area, Jadhav said.