Kharif sowing rises 63% led by pulses, oilseeds

Kharif crops such as rice, sugarcane, cotton and a range of pulses and oilseeds, have been sown over 563.35 lakh hectares (lh), an increase of 62.7 per cent from the corresponding period last year when acreage stood 346.34 lha. However, the long break-up in monsoon rains during most part of the July is a cause of worry as it could impact yields.

According to the latest data released by the Agriculture Ministry here on Friday, the rise in sowing – up 26.5 per cent over the previous week – has been led mainly by greater coverage of pulses, oilseeds, cotton and coarse cereals.

The dry spell prevailing in large tracts across central and western parts since the beginning of July, which accounts for 33 per cent of monsoon rains, has resulted in greater coverage by sturdier crops.

“While sowing has raced ahead, it will remain to be seen what is actually realised since the rain in July is crucial for crops. Delayed rain can impact yields and this is a worry,” said DK Joshi, Chief Economist, CRISIL.

Data from the India Meteorological Department showed below-normal rainfall across India for the sixth consecutive day with 7.8 mm recorded on Friday, around 22 per cent lower than the normal average of 9.9 mm for the day. Overall, rainfall between June 1 and July 17 is 7 per cent below the normal of 318.4 mm, with surplus rain recorded only in Northwest India, which has received 14 per cent above normal rain.

“For the Central region, we are expecting rain over the next two days. While the Arabian arm is weak, we see a pressure region developing over Western MP due to the Bay of Bengal arm strengthening,” said Anupam Kashyapi, Director and Scientist-in-charge, IMD-Bhopal. Double-digit pulses inflation was a cause of worry in the latest data released earlier this week. Acreage has risen by 134 per cent over the same time last year, from 23.92 lh to 55.99 lh. All three major pulses – arhar (tur), urad and moong – have been sown over more area.

Arhar acreage is up nearly 93 per cent at 20.30 lh while urad sowing has risen almost 268 per cent to touch 13.46 lh. Moong acreage is up 199 per cent at 15.06 lh.

Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh, in particular, have seen greater arhar and urad coverage while moong has been sown in large quantities across Rajasthan and parts of Maharashtra.

Oilseeds, such as soyabean, castorseed, groundnut, sunflower and sesamum, have been sown across 127.12 lh, about 234 per cent over the year, led mainly greater coverage of soyabean across 95.7 lh from 19.5 lh last year, a whopping 390.8 per cent increase.

Largely attributed to the timely onset of the monsoon in Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra, which collectively account for 90 per cent of soyabean output, experts are worried that the dry spell over the last three weeks could cause overall output to decline.

Around 9.4 lh have been covered in Rajasthan as well, up from just 0.16 lh last year.

“The crop was sown almost a month earlier than last year but now the dry weather has resulted in a grim situation. If there’s no rain over the next day or two, it’s likely that the crop in shallower soil where there’s less moisture retention will suffer,” said VS Bhatia, Director, ICAR-Directorate of Soybean Research.

Cotton has been sown across 93.22 lh – a 66.5 per cent increase from 55.99 lh during the corresponding period in 2014-15. Less rainfall in Gujarat and Maharashtra has spurred more sowing in the two largest cotton-growing States.

Experts, however, state that the situation with cotton acreage is the same as with oilseeds since farmers had delayed sowing last year due to the late monsoon onset as well. “It’s too early to speak on yield but overall acreage will be the same or slightly lower,” Dhiren Sheth, President, Cotton Association of India, had told BusinessLine earlier.

Area under cotton in Gujarat has more than doubled this year at 23 lh (10.19 lh), while Maharashtra has recorded acreage almost tripling to 33.27 lh (11.24 lh).

Coarse cereals, such as jowar, bajra, ragi and kharif maize, have registered a 115 per cent rise in acreage. Sowing of bajra, in particular, is up 158 per cent to 35.62 lh. Acreage of rice, the main Kharif foodgrain, has edged up 4.4 per cent to 132.11 lh while that of sugarcane is about 2.8 per cent lower at 44.8 lh.