Crop Report
Kharif acreage up 1.5% YoY at 110.5 mln ha, tur jumps 14%
This story was originally published at 13:27 IST on 25 September 2024
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MUMBAI – Farmers across the country have sown kharif crops across 110.5 mln ha as of today, up 1.5% from a year ago, with notable increases in the acreage of paddy, pulses, and maize, data from the agriculture ministry showed. Kharif sowing as of Monday has exceeded the normal acreage and has improved since July due to higher rainfall after a slow start in June.
The area under paddy, one of the more important kharif crops, rose 2.2% on year to 41.4 mln ha as of today. Progress in the sowing of paddy and the current rice stocks with the Centre have led the government to allow grain-deficient states to buy rice from Food Corp of India through open market sales, without participating in electronic auctions. Given the rice surplus with the FCI, the Centre has also allowed ethanol distilleries to participate in the corporation's weekly auctions of the grain. Distilleries can buy a maximum of 2.3 mln tn of rice from the auctions.
After deficient production last year, the area under pulses was up 7.8% on year at 12.9 mln ha as of today. Within pulses, acreage under tur was up 14% on year at 4.7 mln ha, data from the ministry showed. Experts say good rainfall in the current monsoon season is expected to improve the cultivation of pulses. India is heavily dependent on other countries to meet the domestic demand for certain pulses such as tur and urad. A rise in sowing this year is expected to bring down imports of these pulses, industry officials say.
India, the world's third-largest importer of tur after the US and Canada, imports most of its requirement from Mozambique, Malawi, and Myanmar. The sharp increase in tur acreage across the country this year was mainly on account of the early onset of the Southwest monsoon in top tur-producing states such as Karnataka. During the previous kharif season, sowing of crops was delayed owing to the erratic monsoon.
Similarly, maize acreage across the country was up 4% at 8.8 mln ha as of Monday.
The area under oilseeds was at 19.4 mln ha as of today, up 1.5% from a year ago. In September, rainfall is likely to be above normal in most parts of India at over 109% of the long-period average, according to the India Meterological Department. The forecast also indicates a higher likelihood of La Nina conditions developing during the end of the monsoon season, the agency said, adding that there was a 66% chance of La Nina during Sep-Nov. Heavy rainfall during September could pose a threat to planted crops across the country by causing inundation of fields.
The following table details the sowing of key kharif crops, in hectare (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 | 41,350,000 | 40,450,000 | 2.2 | 40,155,000 |
| Tur | 4,650,000 | 4,074,000 | 14 | 4,555,000 |
| Urad | 3,073,000 | 3,260,000 | (-)5.7 | 3,676,000 |
| Moong | 3,546,000 | 3,149,000 | 12.6 | 3,699,000 |
| Other Pulses | 480,000 | 459,000 | 4.6 | 449,000 |
| Total Pulses | 12,858,000 | 11,928,000 | 7.8 | 13,602,000 |
| Jowar | 1,613,000 | 1,429,000 | 12.9 | 1,601,000 |
| Bajra | 6,991,000 | 7,094,000 | (-)1.5 | 7,263,000 |
| Ragi | 1,246,000 | 1,050,000 | 18.7 | 1,096,000 |
| Small millets | 598,000 | 569,000 | 5.1 | 447,000 |
| Maize | 8,806,000 | 8,465,000 | 4 | 7,696,000 |
| Coarse cereals | 19,255,000 | 18,607,000 | 3.5 | 18,103,000 |
| Groundnut | 4,785,000 | 4,375,000 | 9.4 | 4,528,000 |
| Soybean | 12,511,000 | 12,385,000 | 1 | 12,295,000 |
| Sunflower | 76,000 | 73,000 | 4.1 | 140,000 |
| Sesamum | 1,131,000 | 1,224,000 | (-)7.6 | 1,026,000 |
| Castor | 800,000 | 950,000 | (-)16 | 907,000 |
| Total oilseeds | 19,384,000 | 19,092,000 | 1.5 | 19,018,000 |
| Sugarcane | 5,768,000 | 5,711,000 | 1 | 5,115,000 |
| Cotton | 11,276,000 | 12,371,000 | (-)9 | 12,934,000 |
| Total | 110,463,000 | 108,826,000 | 2 | 109,600,000 |
End
Reported by Taniva Singha Roy
Edited by Vidhi Verma
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