Kharif Crop Sowing in India Rises 2.15% Over Last Year Amid Favorable Monsoon

India's kharif crop sowing has seen a 2.15% increase this year, reaching 1,092.33 lakh hectares. The Agriculture Ministry credits favorable monsoon conditions for the growth, with a significant boost in paddy, pulses, oilseeds, millets, and sugarcane sowing. However, cotton and jute/mesta sowing has decreased.

India's kharif crop sowing is advancing positively, with farmers planting crops over 1,092.33 lakh hectares to date, surpassing last year's 1,069.29 lakh hectares, according to the latest Agriculture Ministry data released on Monday. The yearly sowing rate has increased by approximately 2.15%.

Commodity-wise data reveals significant year-on-year growth in the sowing of paddy, pulses, oilseeds, millets, and sugarcane. On the contrary, cotton and jute/mesta sowing have seen a decline. Among pulses, barring uradbean, arhar, moong, kulthi, and moth bean have shown positive trends.

The 2023 Kharif season observed a total cultivation area of 1,107.15 lakh hectares, compared to the normal kharif area of 1,095.84 lakh hectares from 2018-19 to 2022-23. Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan emphasized the government's commitment to 100% procurement for urad, arhar, and masur in all states, pushing for increased awareness among farmers for pulse cultivation.

India, a major consumer and producer of pulses, fulfills some of its requirements through imports. The primary pulses consumed include chana, masur, urad, kabuli chana, and tur. The government is focusing heavily on pulse cultivation. India experiences three cropping seasons—Summer, Kharif, and Rabi. Rabi crops are sown in October-November and harvested from January, while Kharif crops are sown in June-July and harvested in October-November. Summer crops are planted between Rabi and Kharif seasons.

Monsoon progression traditionally plays a crucial role in Indian agriculture, especially for Kharif crops. IMD expects the southwest monsoon (June-September) to be above normal, supported by Skymet's forecast for a normal monsoon this year.

According to IMD, September 2024 is likely to see above-normal rainfall, estimated at 109% of the Long Period Average. (ANI)