Kharif sowing falls 9% even as rains pick up

This gap may shrink as the monsoon gathers pace

- SANJEEB MUKHERJEE

The acreage under kharif crops was almost 8.6 per cent less year-on-year (YoY) until the week ended Friday, despite a pick-up in monsoon rainfall across most parts of India.

Acreage is significantly down for kharif crops like rice, pulses (arhar or tur, and urad), soybean, and cotton.

But, with monsoon rainfall showing a strong uptick since the middle of last month, there is hope the YoY gap in acreage with respect to some major crops will shrink in the coming weeks. Also, if sowing takes during the ideal planting period, the drop in yields may not be significant.

In total, kharif crops are planted in around 101 million hectares (mn ha); sowing was over in 35.34 mn ha until Friday (approximately 35 per cent) Therefore, rainfall in the remaining weeks of July and also August has become vital.

According to traders, for some crops, such as arhar or tur, the market has already started factoring in a drop in yields and prices not coming down significantly.