The divergence in Kharif season sowing figures this year compared with the last season narrowed further this week, according to data released by the Agriculture Ministry on Friday.

The area under crops, such as rice, cotton, soyabean and sugarcane, is estimated at 967.83 lakh hectares (lh), just 1.1 per cent higher than the corresponding period of the last year.

The acreage of pulses continues to be higher — 12 per cent more currently — while the area under cotton has continued to fall.

Rainfall deficit

The overall acreage gap has been closing since mid-July and has become more pronounced in recent weeks. With nearly 92 per cent of sowing completed, steady rainfall over September is pivotal for yields.

Drought conditions have continued to prevail across vast tracts of the Southern Peninsula and Central India, which are traditionally rain-fed. As of Friday, India received 12 per cent deficient rainfall due to the El Nino phenomenon, which agencies around the world says is the strongest in history.

According to India Meteorological Department (IMD) data, there is a 20 per cent rainfall deficit in peninsular India and a 15 per cent shortfall in the Central region. While the North-West had recorded a surplus through the beginning of August, it now has a 7 per cent deficit. Of the 36 sub-divisions, 15 have received deficient rain. Marathwada, central Maharashtra, north interior Karnataka, Kerala, Telangana, Bihar, east and west Uttar Pradesh are among the most acutely affected regions.

Crop data

Pulses, such as arhar (tur), urad and moong, have been sown across 105.52 lh (94.18 lh). Moong and urad coverage is up nearly 20 per cent and 13.3 per cent, respectively.

The area under coarse cereals is up a little more than 3 per cent over the year with 172.5 lh being covered so far with crops, such as jowar, bajra and Kharif maize.

Oilseeds acreage stands at 174.59 lh, only 1.4 per cent higher than the 172.26 lh recorded in the same period last year. Soyabean and sesamum areas are higher, but castor and groundnut coverage have slipped nearly 11 per cent and 3 per cent, respectively. Cotton sowing has taken place over 112.68 lh — around 8 per cent lower than the 122.5 lh sown at the same time last year. The area under jute and mesta remains stagnant and continues to be about 4 per cent lower.

Rice, the main Kharif foodgrain, has been planted on 345.89 lh, marginally higher than the corresponding coverage last year, while the sugarcane area is up 3.5 per cent at 48.84 lh, the same as last week.

Published on August 28, 2015