Explanation:

Rajasthan farmers have preferred mustard and wheat crops over gram (chana) in the current rabi sowing season.

The development may affect the State government’s target of diverting more areas from cereal to pulses and oilseeds crops.

The State has targeted an increase gram acreage this season to 20 lh from last year’s 18 lh.

So far, the area has reached 17.96 lh and sowing is almost over as about 70,000 hectares increase was reported during last week.

Wheat procurement by Food Corporation of India (FCI) for the Central Pool stock increased in 2021 in Rajasthan by five per cent to 2.34 million tonnes (mt) from the previous year.

Farmers had received average ?1,872/quintal in mandis during the main harvesting period April-June of 2021 against minimum support price (MSP) of ?1,925/quintal.

On the other hand, farmers sold gram at an average ?4,990/quintal, against MSP of ?5,100.