Kharif sowing activities are yet to gain momentum in most of the States as the truant monsoon has left 84 per cent of the country’s geographical area parched. However, a higher crop acreage in major agricultural States such as Uttar Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Gujarat and Chhattisgarh indicates that the pace of sowing will likely improve with rains set to pick up over the next few weeks.
The total area under kharif crops is down by 8 per cent at 99.63 lakh hectares (lh) as of June 17 against 108.29 lh in the same period a year ago. Barring sugarcane, in which sowing has already topped the normal area of 47.53 lh, most other crops have reported a drop in acreage.
Acreage of paddy, the main kharif cereal, is down by 30.3 per cent at 8.73 lh, though it is higher by about 44,000 hectares in Uttar Pradesh, the second biggest rice producer after West Bengal.
Coarse cereals area
The pulses acreage is showing a 7.4 per cent drop at 4.39 lh, while oilseeds sowing has slid by 17.9 per cent to 4.75 lh, according to a weekly update from the Agriculture Ministry. The area under coarse cereals trails by over 30 per cent to 6.81 lh and the area under cotton is down by nearly 6 per cent at 19.06 lh. Sugarcane acreage is up 1.9 per cent at 49.38 lh.
Among the pulses, tur has been sown in 1.06 lh, moong 1.9 lh and urad in 53,000 hectares until June 17. Groundnut sowing has been reported in 3.2 lh and soyabean in 62,000 hectares. In coarse cereals, maize area reached 4.96 lh, bajra 45,000 hectares and jowar 36,000 hectares.
Total area under kharif crops in Uttar Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Gujarat and Chhattisgarh is marginally higher compared to last year, the data show.
With regard to cotton, Gujarat has reported acreage at 1.33 lh against 0.99 lh a year ago while Maharashtra has covered 0.53 lh (2.7 lh), Haryana 6.25 lh (6.66 lh), Rajasthan 4.73 lh (4.74 lh), Punjab 2.48 lh (2.54 lh), Madhya Pradesh 1.38 lh (1.5 lh) and Karnataka 1.21 lh (0.59 lh).
Rainfall deficit
Meanwhile, the rainfall deficit in the current monsoon season (June-September) has narrowed down to 18 per cent of normal as of June 17 from 32 per cent until June 15. According to India Meteorological Department data, the country as a whole received 58 per cent above normal rainfall on a single day on June 17. Only 10 States and Union Territories have received normal or more rainfall while 26 others have been deficient, so far, since June 1.
According to Central Water Commission, the water storage level in the country’s 143 reservoirs as of June 16 was 29 per cent of the combined storage capacity of 177.46 billion cubic meters (BCM) whereas the last 10 years’ average on the date was 22 per cent.