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Informist, Monday, Jul 15, 2024

 

--India kharif acreage 57.5 mln ha so far vs 52.1 mln ha yr ago 

--India kharif paddy acreage 11.6 mln ha so far vs 9.6 mln ha yr ago 

--India kharif pulses acreage 6.2 mln ha so far vs 5.0 mln ha yr ago 

--India kharif tur acreage 2.8 mln ha so far vs 966,000 ha yr ago 

--India kharif urad acreage 1.4 mln ha so far vs 1.3 mln ha yr ago 

--India kharif moong acreage 1.6 mln ha so far vs 2.0 mln ha yr ago 

--Kharif oilseeds acreage 14.0 mln ha so far vs 11.5 mln ha yr ago 

--India kharif soybean acreage 10.8 mln ha so far vs 8.2 mln yr ago 

--India kharif groundnut acreage 2.8 mln ha so far, unch from yr ago 

--India kharif coarse cereal acreage 9.8 mln ha so far vs 10.5 mln ha 

--India kharif maize acreage 5.9 mln ha so far vs 4.4 mln ha yr ago 

--India kharif jowar acreage 739,000 ha so far vs 864,000 ha yr ago 

--India kharif bajra acreage 2.8 mln ha so far vs 5.0 mln ha yr ago 

--India kharif cane acreage 5.8 mln ha so far vs 5.7 mln ha yr ago 

--India cotton acreage 9.6 mln ha so far vs 9.3 mln ha yr ago 

 

NEW DELHI – Farmers across the country have sown kharif crops over 57.5 mln ha as of today, up 10% from a year ago, data from the farm ministry showed. The sowing of kharif crops has begun well as the southwest monsoon rainfall has picked up after a slow start. The forecast of above-normal rainfall this season has boosted the acreage of key crops such as paddy, pulses and oilseeds from the previous year. 

 

The area under paddy, one of the main kharif crops, was up 21% on year at 11.56 mln ha as of today. The acreage under pulses was 6.23 mln ha as of today, up 26% from 4.95 mln ha a year ago. Within pulses, acreage under tur surged 191% to 2.81 mln ha from 966,000 ha a year ago, the ministry data showed. 

 

The sharp increase in tur acreage is mainly due to the early onset of the monsoon in top tur-producing states such as Karnataka. During the last kharif season, the sowing of kharif crops was delayed due to the erratic monsoon. This had also weighed on production of tur and maize and delayed the sowing of rabi crops as well. 

 

However, the forecast of an above-normal southwest monsoon this year by the India Meteorological Department bodes well for the agricultural sector as most kharif crops are heavily reliant on rainfall. Staggered withdrawal of the monsoon would benefit kharif crops and improve the soil moisture for the rabi season too.

 

The India Meteorological Department has forecast that southwest monsoon is likely to be above normal at over 106% of the long-period average. During the season so far, India has received a weighted average rainfall of 287.7 mm, 2?low normal for the period, according to data from the IMD.

 

Last month, the government had raised the minimum support prices of key kharif crops to encourage farmers to sow more pulses and oilseeds. It increased the minimum support prices of 14 key kharif crops by 1.4-12.7% for the 2024-25 marketing season (Oct-Sep). The minimum support price of tur has been increased by 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 acreage under maize was up 34% on year at 5.89 mln ha as of today. This is mainly due to an increase in the sowing of maize in the largest producer, Karnataka. The area sown under maize so far in Karnataka has been 1.22 mln ha, up 190% from 421,500 ha during the corresponding period of last year.  

 

The area under oilseeds was 14.04 mln ha as of today, up 22% from the corresponding period a year ago. Soybean acreage rose 31% on year to 10.81 mln ha. The acreage under cotton was at 9.58 mln ha, up 3% from a year ago. Last week, cotton acreage was up 29% from a year ago.  

 

The higher acreage under kharif crops is likely to help the government keep food inflation in check. India's CPI food price inflation was 9.36% in June, higher from 8.69% in May, the latest data by the National Statistical Office showed. 

 

However, the acreage under coarse cereals fell 7% on year to 9.76 mln ha. The area under millets like jowar and bajra was significantly lower than a year ago. Jowar has been sown over 739,000 ha so far, against 864,000 ha a year ago, the data showed. The area under bajra fell 43% to 2.83 mln ha from 5.0 mln ha a year ago.

 

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	11,564,000	9,578,000	21	40,155,000
Tur	2,814,000	966,000	191	4,555,000
Urad	1,390,000	1,275,000	9	3,676,000
Moong	1,579,000	1,957,000	(-)19	3,699,000
Other Pulses	437,000	740,000	(-)41	1,482,000
Total Pulses	6,232,000	4,950,000	26	13,602,000
Jowar	739,000	864,000	(-)14	1,601,000
Bajra	2,832,000	5,009,000	(-)43	7,263,000
Ragi	120,000	117,000	3	1,096,000
Small millets	187,000	127,000	47	447,000
Maize	5,886,000	4,384,000	34	7,696,000
Coarse cereals	9,764,000	10,499,000	(-)7	18,086,000
Groundnut	2,820,000	2,827,000	(-)0	4,528,000
Soybean	10,810,000	8,244,000	31	12,295,000
Sunflower	51,000	34,000	50	140,000
Sesamum	321,000	359,000	(-)11	1,026,000
Castor	16,000	39,000	(-)59	907,000
Total oilseeds	14,043,000	11,508,000	22	19,018,000
Sugarcane	5,768,000	5,686,000	1	5,115,000
Cotton	9,579,000	9,302,000	3	12,934,000
Total	57,513,000	52,125,000	10	109,584,000

 

End

 

Reported by Sayantan Sarkar

Edited by Tanima Banerjee

 

 

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