Informist, Saturday, Jun 29, 2024
NEW DELHI – The sowing of kharif crops for the 2024-25 (Jul-Jun) season has started on a brisk note with acreage across the country rising 33% on year to 24.07 mln ha as of Friday, data from the farm ministry showed. The sowing of kharif crops has begun well with acreage under key crops such as pulses and oilseeds rising sharply so far, the data showed.
The forecast of an above normal southwest monsoon by the India Meteorological Department also bodes well for the agricultural sector this year as most kharif crops are heavily reliant on rainfall. The IMD has forecast that the southwest monsoon during the Jun-Sep season is most likely to be above normal at over 106% of the long-period average. However, since Jun 1, India has so far received a weighted average rainfall of 128.1 mm, 14?low the normal of 149.8 mm for the period, the IMD said on Friday.
In terms of pulses, acreage was 2.25 mln ha, a whopping 181% higher than the same period last year. Under pulses, acreage under tur and urad showed increases of a whopping 1450% and 524% on-year as of Friday. The government earlier this month had raised the minimum support prices for key kharif crops to encourage farmers to sow more pulses and oilseeds. The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs on Jun 19 increased the minimum support prices of 14 key kharif crops by 1.4-12.7% for the marketing season 2024-25 (Oct-Sep).
The minimum support price of paddy (common) has been increased 5% to 2,300 rupees per 100 kg and that of paddy (grade A) has also been raised 5% to 2,320 rupees per 100 kg. The minimum support price of tur has been increased nearly 8% to 7,550 rupees per 100 kg for the upcoming season, and that of urad by 6.5% to 7,400 rupees per 100 kg.
The area under oilseeds was 4.29 mln ha as of Friday, up 155% from the corresponding period a year ago. Soybean acreage has increased to 3.37 mln ha compared with just 163,000 ha last year.
The on-year increase in acreage under oilseeds and pulses is likely to help the government to keep food inflation in check. India's food price inflation was 8.69% in May, slightly down from 8.70% in April, the latest data by the National Statistical Office showed.
However, the acreage under coarse cereals fell 15% on year to 3.09 mln ha, while the area under rice, one of the major kharif crops, was steady on a year-on-year basis at 2.27 mln ha as of Friday. Additionally, acreage under cotton was at 5.91 mln ha, up 63% from the year-ago period.
The following table details the sowing of key kharif crops, in ha, compared with year-ago levels and the year-on-year change in percentage terms:
| State | Acreage 2024-25 (ha) | Acreage 2023-24 (ha) | Change (%) |
Normal area for the season (ha) |
| Rice | 2,273,000 | 2,277,000 | - | 40,155,000 |
| Tur | 1,302,000 | 84,000 | 1,450 | 4,555,000 |
| Urad | 318,000 | 51,000 | 524 | 3,676,000 |
| Moong | 511,000 | 457,000 | 12 | 3,699,000 |
| Other Pulses | 116,000 | 204,000 | (-)43 | 1,482,000 |
| Total Pulses | 2,254,000 | 802,000 | 181 | 13,602,000 |
| Jowar | 153,000 | 98,000 | 56 | 1,601,000 |
| Bajra | 409,000 | 2,567,000 | (-)84 | 7,263,000 |
| Ragi | 91,000 | 88,000 | 3 | 1,096,000 |
| Small millets | 82,000 | 61,000 | 34 | 447,000 |
| Maize | 2,353,000 | 810,000 | 190 | 7,696,000 |
| Coarse cereals | 3,089,000 | 3,623,000 | (-)15 | 18,086,000 |
| Groundnut | 819,000 | 1,456,000 | (-)44 | 4,528,000 |
| Soybean | 3,366,000 | 163,000 | 1,965 | 12,295,000 |
| Sunflower | 37,000 | 26,000 | 42 | 140,000 |
| Sesamum | 43,000 | 26,000 | 65 | 1,026,000 |
| Castor | 6,000 | 7,000 | (-)14 | 907,000 |
| Total oilseeds | 4,293,000 | 1,681,000 | 155 | 19,018,000 |
| Sugarcane | 5,688,000 | 5,545,000 | 3 | 5,115,000 |
| Cotton* | 5,913,000 | 3,630,000 | 63 | 12,934,000 |
| Total | 24,072,000 | 18,160,000 | 33 | 109,584,000 |
End
Reported by Sayantan Sarkar
Edited by Tanima Banerjee
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