The Hindu Business Line : Kharif sowing in full swing

New Delhi, June 20 With the south-west monsoon rains turning out to be plentiful so far, sowing of kharif crops is in full swing. The early burst of monsoon showers has especially helped boost acreages under oilseeds and coarse cereals.

According to the Union Agriculture Ministry, 4.67 lakh hectares (lh) have so far been planted under kharif oilseeds, compared to 3.88 lh covered during the corresponding period of 2007.

The area under soyabean has risen from 0.24 lh to 1.03 lh, and, at the current rate, could even surpass last year’s record 87.64 lh. Progressive groundnut acreage has also risen from 1.89 lh to 2.37 lh.

The total area sown till now under coarse cereals, at 11.04 lh, is higher than the 7.93 lh for the corresponding period of last year. Bajra (0.47 lh to 5.17 lh) and Jowar (1.45 lh to 1.56 lh) have recorded increases, while there has been a decline from 4.76 lh to 3.53 lh in the case of maize.

Rice planting has just started picking up, with 9.69 lh being covered so far, against last year’s corresponding 10.37 lh.

In cotton, sowing in northern States — Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan — is complete, while it has just commenced in other parts of the country. Till now, the area coverage of 14.51 lh is marginally below last year’s cumulative coverage of 15.32 lh. The only crop to have seen a marked decline in planting this year is sugarcane, with only 40.74 lh being covered so far, against last year’s comparable 47.51 lh.

With mills saddled with huge arrears, cane growers are expected to divert more area this time to soyabean, paddy and other more remunerative crops.

As per the India Meteorological Department’s (IMD) latest data, the country, on the whole, has received 113.6 millimetres (mm) of area-weighted rainfall during the current monsoon season (June-September) till June 18. This is 45 per cent more than the ‘normal’ long period average (LPA) of 78.2 mm for this period.

So far, rains have been above the LPA in 25 out of 36 meteorological sub-divisions of the country. In six other sub-divisions, it has been within 20 per cent of the respective LPA, while only in Marathwada (minus 52 per cent), Kerala (minus 38 per cent), Lakshadweep (minus 32 per cent) and Assam-Meghalaya (minus 30 per cent) have rains been deficient.

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