Kharif sowing gap narrows but key crops lag | Today’s news
Kharif sowing has almost caught up with last year, although acreage of several key crops remains lower, agriculture ministry data shows.
Farmers had planted 109.6 million hectares as of September 11, about 1.6 million hectares below the area planted during the year-ago period. The acreage is also close to the ministry’s normal standard of 110.4 million hectares.
The headline number masks sharper declines in rice, maize, oilseeds, sugarcane and cotton, which are crucial to India’s food, edible oil and fiber supplies. Rice acreage was 42.6 million hectares, down 1.7 million hectares from a year ago.
Pulses offered some support, with acreage rising from 167,000 hectares to 11.8 million hectares, led by gains in Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, Telangana, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh. Coarse cereals and oilseeds increased marginally, while cotton and sugarcane remained below last year’s levels.
An uneven monsoon remains a problem. According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), India received 15% less rainfall than normal between June 1 and September 13, with significant regional variations. Lack of rainfall and prolonged dry spells could affect crops at critical stages of growth.
Mixed picture
“The latest kharif sowing data presents a mixed picture for Indian agriculture. While total area sown is marginally lower than last year, the real story lies in regional variations, where rainfall patterns, soil moisture, crop economics and local agro-climatic conditions continue to influence farmers’ sowing decisions,” said Uday Raj Anand, general manager, domestic business, agrochemical company Parijat Industries.
The area under Shri Anna and coarse grains stood at 18.3 million hectares, a marginal increase from 18.2 million hectares a year ago. The increase in area was mainly due to higher acreage in Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand and Uttarakhand.
The area of oilseeds fell slightly to 19.39 million hectares from last year’s 19.4 million hectares. Lower soybean and groundnut acreage offset gains in crops such as sesame and sunflower.
Cotton acreage was also marginally lower at 10.9 million hectares compared to 11.0 million hectares a year ago. The decline in cotton area coverage is mainly attributable to substantial reductions in Rajasthan and Haryana, while declines in Punjab and Andhra Pradesh more than offset the gains recorded in Telangana and Gujarat.
Sugarcane acreage at 5.84 million hectares was marginally lower than the 5.88 million hectares recorded a year ago.
The narrowing crop gap comes despite a deficient monsoon season. The distribution of precipitation also remained uneven. The IMD has forecast subdued rain activity over peninsular India in the coming week, while rainfall is expected over several parts of central and eastern India.
