Buoyed by a significant 14 per cent increase in planting of oilseeds and rice, the total area under kharif crops so far crossed 1,000 lakh hectares (lh) already and is all set to clock a new record in total cropped area.

Kharif sowing data released by the Agriculture Ministry on Friday said a total of 1,016 lh has been planted so far, nearly 9 per cent more than 936 lh sown in the corresponding week last year.

Rice is set to witness a record planting area. Rice planting has already covered 352 lh, 14 per cent more than 309 lh planted in the same week in the previous kharif season. Major kharif oilseeds – soyabean and groundnut – already surpassed the acreage which is considered normal. While soyabean is planted over 119 lh, nearly 7 per cent more than 111 lh covered in the same week in the previous season, groundnut area has gone up by a significant 41 per cent to 49 lh as compared to same period last year. This has pushed the oilseeds area to 187 lh, 14 per cent more than 64 lh in the corresponding week in kharif 2019.

The increase in pulses acreage may be a marginal 2 per cent, but major pulses crops – arhar, moong and urad – have recorded an increase in planted area with moong and urad already surpassing the normal area of cropping. The total area under pulses crops so far is 124 lh.

An increase in sown area of bajra and maize have resulted in coarse cereals recording a nearly 4 per cent growth over the previous kharif season. So far, coarse cereals have been planted over 168 lh as against 162 lh in the corresponding week last year.

At 125 lh, the area under cotton too is marginally higher than that in the same week in the previous year.

The country as a whole has received 578 millimetres of rainfall in the current monsoon season, which is 2 per cent more than the normal of 569 mm. The 123 reservoirs monitored by the Central Water Commission have cumulative storage which is 88 per cent of the same in the corresponding week last year.

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