Paddy lifts kharif acreage above 2022 level; pulses, oilseeds fall

livemint.com:

NEW DELHI : Kharif sowing exceeded the levels of last year led by a surge in paddy while pulses and oilseeds fell, at a time the erratic south-west monsoon has cast a shadow over this year’s sowing and harvest. According to data released by the agriculture ministry on Friday, total kharif planting until 15 September was up 3.6% from the previous year to touch 109.5 million hectares (mh). Paddy cultivation jumped 10.8% from last year to 40.9 mh, while pulses fell 6.6% to 12.1 mh, including a 2.6% dip in tur (pigeon pea or arhar) and a 0.7% decrease in urad (black gram) to 4.3 mh and 3.2 mh, respectively.

Area under oilseed cultivation fell as well, down by 2.1% to 19.2 mh. While the sowing of groundnut declined by 1.5% to 4.3 mh, sunflower crop plantations fell by 1.3% to 700,000 hectares. However, farmers have accelerated the sowing of soybean, a major kharif crop, covering 12.6 mh, up 1.3% from last year.

Sowing of coarse cereals was up 1.6%. Maize sowing rose 2.5% to 8.4 mh, while bajra increased slightly to 7.1 mh. However, sowing of jowar and ragi fell 1.5% to 1.4 mh and 0.5% to 885,000 hectares, respectively.

Similarly, cotton crop plantation fell 4.1% to 12.3 mh. In the case of sugarcane, sowing went up 4.3% to nearly 6 mh. Though rainfall countrywide improved in the past week from August, the driest monsoon month in 122 years, it still lags 9% at 723.2 mm till 15 September since 1 June.