Kharif crop sowing at 110.46 mn hectares, surpasses normal for the season

Aided by good monsoon rains, acreage under kharif crops has risen 1.50% year-on-year to 110.46 million hectares as of 20 September, surpassing the four-year average of 109.6 million hectares, the agriculture ministry said in a statement on Monday.
Kharif crops, such as paddy, pulses, oilseeds, sugarcane and cotton, had been sown across 108.82 million hectares in the year-ago period.
Paddy sowing stood at 41.35 million hectares, a 3% rise from the average area of 40.15 mh and a 2.22% increase from 40.45 mh a year ago.
Coarse cereals, or shree anna, also saw a 6.35% increase to 19.25 million hectares over the normal area of 18.10 million hectares. It was 3.49% higher than the 18.60 million hectares sown during the same period in 2023.
Pulses, another key kharif crop, recorded a 7.79% rise in sowing, expanding to 12.85 million hectares from 11.92 million hectares last year, with tur (arhar) dal alone accounting for 4.65 million hectares.
Oilseeds, too, saw a slight increase in sowing area to 19.38 million hectares from 19.09 million hectares in 2023, while sugarcane remained stable at 5.76 million hectares. 
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However, some crops recorded declines, with jute and mesta falling to 574,000 hectares from 667,000 hectares and cotton dropping to 11.27 million hectares from 12.37 million hectares last year.
The bumper sowing has strengthened confidence among policymakers, as kharif production constitutes about 60% of India’s total foodgrains output.
“The government is hopeful of a bumper production of pulses this year,” consumer affairs secretary Nidhi Khare told reporters. 
The increase in pulses sowing areas is a positive indicator for the agriculture sector and reflects the government’s commitment to enhancing farm productivity. It could potentially lead to a reduction in prices for this crucial protein source, provided the harvest is favourable.
Broad increases across various crops largely alleviate concerns about a surge in food inflation, which has been more persistent than headline inflation in recent months.
Food inflation, a persistent challenge, rose to 5.66% in August from 5.42% reported in July. This was the lowest since June 2023, when it was 4.55%. Food inflation rose to 9.36% in June, to 8.69% in May, and 8.70% in April.
 
 
 
 
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