Kharif Sowing Gains Momentum with Improved Monsoon

The early gain in sowing under kharif crops has narrowed to less than 4% from over 10% a week ago as the main planting window is closing. Monsoon revival, aided by a low-pressure system in the Bay of Bengal, is expected to boost sowing activities. Particularly in states with deficient rainfall. As of July 19, planting has been completed on 64% or 70.404 million hectares, up by 3.5% from 68.036 million hectares a year ago, according to the Agriculture Ministry.

Regional Variations in Sowing Trends

Agriculture scientist SK Singh notes that about 5 million hectares of paddy are being sown weekly. Key growing states like Chhattisgarh, Odisha, West Bengal, and Jharkhand, which experienced deficient rains earlier is now receiving good precipitation, improving the pace of paddy sowing. West Bengal continues paddy sowing until September due to its climatic conditions. Whereas in other states it typically concludes by mid-August.

• Cotton: The area under cotton has decreased for the first time compared to last year, mainly in Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, and Gujarat, with increases only in Maharashtra and Karnataka. The cotton acreage is down by 3.4%, reaching 10.205 million hectares against 10.566 million hectares a year ago.
• Soybean: The area under soybean is nearing its normal acreage of 12.3 million hectares, reaching 11.904 million hectares, up by 9.2% from 10.897 million hectares last year. Overall, oilseed acreage is up by 8.1% at 16.311 million hectares, compared to 15.091 million hectares a year ago.
• Groundnut: Groundnut acreage has increased by 12.6%, reaching 3.734 million hectares from 3.315 million hectares last year.
• Sugarcane: Sugarcane acreage has slightly increased to 5.77 million hectares from 5.705 million hectares.
• Jute and Mesta: The area under jute and mesta has decreased to 0.564 million hectares from 0.603 million hectares.

Mixed Trends in Pulse and Nutri-Cereal Acreage

• Arhar (Pigeon Pea): The area under arhar has increased by 73%, reaching 3.348 million hectares from 1.934 million hectares last year. This surge is driven by high market prices, with arhar dal selling at $2,10-$2,76/kg in Delhi's retail markets.
• Urad and Moong: Urad acreage has slightly decreased to 1.962 million hectares from 1.986 million hectares, while moong acreage has increased by 10% to 2.511 million hectares from 2.276 million hectares. Overall, pulse sowing has reached 8.579 million hectares, up by 22.3% from 7.014 million hectares last year.
• Corn and Nutri-Cereals: Corn acreage has increased by 7.6% to 6.778 million hectares from 6.3 million hectares.
  • However, nutri-cereals acreage has decreased by 8.3% to 12.372 million hectares from 13.491 million hectares, primarily due to a reduction in bajra (pearl millet) area, which is down to 4.209 million hectares from 5.799 million hectares.
  • Jowar area is slightly down to 0.981 million hectares from 1.007 million hectares, while ragi and other small millets have shown slight variations.

In summary, the revival of the monsoon has positively impacted kharif sowing in India. Particularly for paddy, arhar, and maize. While some crops like cotton and nutri-cereals have seen a decrease in acreage, overall sowing activities are progressing well. Continuous monitoring of monsoon patterns and timely agricultural interventions will be crucial for a successful harvest season.