India’s kharif sowing up 2% from last year; paddy acre continues to rise

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Overall sowing under all crops in the current kharif season touched 1,087.33 lakh hectares (lh) as of August 30, up by 2 per cent from 1066.89 lh a year ago, the Agriculture Ministry said on Monday. The government is hopeful of another year of bumper harvest with higher area and good rainfall across the country. However, with the prediction of above-normal rains in September, policymakers are closely watching the weather scenario.

Paddy sowing has increased by 4 per cent to 408.72 lh as of August 30 against 393.57 lh in the year-ago period, the Ministry said adding that with this the crop has been sown/transplanted in over 100 per cent of its normal kharif area.

The pulses acreage has increased to 125.13 lh from 116.66 lh, up by 7 per cent. It includes coverage of arhar at 45.78 lh from 40.74 lh, urad at 29.62 lh against 31.42 lh and moong at 34.76 lh from 30.88 lh, the ministry said in a statement.

Bumper soya harvest?

The oilseeds coverage is up at 190.63 lh so far this season against 188.83 lh a year ago and it includes soyabean at 125.11 lh from 123.85 lh and groundnut at 47.49 lh from 43.39 lh. Industry officials said soyabean sowing has been completed and it is highly encouraging. “Unless there is very heavy rainfall, there may be a bumper harvest of soyabean,” an industry leader said.

The Agriculture Ministry is likely to announce the first estimate of production of kharif crops later this month.

The area under maize and ‘Shree Anna’ (nutri cereals) increased to 187.74 lh from 181.06 lh in the year-ago period. The area under maize has increased to 87.27 lh from 82.86 lh and that of jowar to 15.16 lh from 14.06. Bajra sowing continues to trail and reached 69.55 lh against 70.81 lh a year ago. There has been a 27 per cent rise in the area under ragi and a 5 per cent rise under other small millets.

8% higher rainfall

The sugarcane sowing is over and it climbed marginally to 57.68 lh from 57.11 lh. But, cotton acreage continues to be lower at 111.74 lh from 123.11 lh. Similarly, jute-mesta too reported lower acreage at 5.70 lh from 6.56 lh.

According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the country received 768.2 mm of rain between June 1 and September 2, which is 8 per cent above its LPA of 714.3 mm.