Kharif sowing slows amid erratic rains as paddy fields, oilseeds plummet | Today’s news

New Delhi: El Niño conditions have cast a shadow over India’s kharif sowing season, with area under key crops such as pulses, pulses, oilseeds and cotton lagging behind last year’s levels amid delayed and patchy monsoon rains.

As of July 10, farmers had sown kharif crops on 53.12 million hectares, down from 63.25 million hectares a year ago, according to government data. Sown area is also 1.8 million hectares below the normal acreage – defined as the 2021-25 average – reflecting slow planting in several rain-stressed states. Paddy saw one of the steepest declines.

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Weak monsoon may reduce paddy area, Mint reported on July 4. Rice was sown in over 11.47 million hectares compared to 12.55 million hectares in the same period last year, resulting in a shortfall of 1.08 million hectares. However, the acreage remains 1.7 million hectares above the five-year normal, indicating that rice plantings will still exceed their long-term average.

But experts said sowing was likely to increase as the rainfall deficit for the southwest monsoon narrowed by July 12, aided by excess rains earlier in the month.

Read also | Monsoon covers India a day later; July rains revive the kharif sowing of hopes

“This augurs well for the kharif sowing trends and we expect them to pick up during the current lull in monsoon rains. India typically receives ~32% of the season’s rainfall in the month of July, followed by 29% in August. Further, ~55% of the total area sown in the kharif season is usually covered in July, with the proportion being much higher such as 66% of pulses and 5%) of pulses and 6 % of coarse grains (62%), adequate rainfall during July-August remains crucial to support sowing and production and contain inflationary pressures in the current fiscal,” said Aditi Nayar, Chief Economist, Icra Ltd.

The Southwest Monsoon has finally swept across the country and reached full coverage last week. The delayed advance comes in a year when the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast sub-normal rainfall, with the southwest monsoon expected to reach 90% of the long-term average (LPA) in the June-September season. The southwest monsoon is critical to India’s economy and agriculture, contributing roughly 70% of the country’s annual rainfall.

Oilseeds saw a steeper decline. The total area under oilseeds stood at 11.78 million hectares as against 14.92 million hectares last year, a deficit of 3.13 million hectares. Soybean, India’s largest oilseed crop, was sown in over 9.05 million hectares, down 1.72 million hectares from last year, while groundnut area fell by 1.20 million hectares.

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The Shri Anna (coarse cereals) harvest also remained weak, with an area of ​​9.87 million hectares, down 2.86 million hectares from last year. Bajra area decreased by 1.22 million hectares, Maize by 1.36 million hectares and Jowar by 213,000 hectares.

Planting of pulses also lagged, with the total area reaching 5.66 million hectares, which is 1.72 million hectares below last year’s level. Arhar recorded the largest decline, with acreage down 849,000 hectares, followed by willow (395,000 hectares) and calendula (256,000 hectares), reflecting slow sowing progress in rainfed areas.

Sugar cane was one of the few exceptions. The crop covered 5.76 million hectares, 86,000 hectares more than last year and 236,000 hectares above the normal area. Cotton sowing reached 7.95 million hectares, 1.44 million hectares less than last year and 1.63 million hectares below normal.

According to the IMD’s monthly outlook, India is likely to receive sub-normal rainfall in July, less than 94% of the long-term average. The forecast follows India’s driest June in over a decade and the fifth driest since records began in 1901, with southwest monsoon rainfall 39.8% below LPA. The country received 99.5 mm of rainfall during the month compared to the normal 165.3 mm.

A Crisil Ltd report titled “Water, water, everywhere. But not much to smile about”, released on July 10, said history shows that weaker monsoon years are often accompanied by softer agricultural output, although the extent of the impact varies widely between regions and crops. “Areas supported by robust irrigation infrastructure tend to withstand these challenges more effectively, while relatively more rain-dependent areas remain at the mercy of nature and are vulnerable to weather shocks,” the report added.