India’s kharif sowing deficit shrinks to less than 3%; 81% of normal area covered
Acreage under paddy down 2.2%, coverage of pulses down 6.3% but that of oilseeds up for the first time this season
India's kharif sowing deficit has narrowed to less than 3%, with 81% of the normal area covered, according to the latest update by the Agriculture Ministry. This improvement can be attributed to a 23% surplus in rainfall, which created favorable conditions for sowing. Farmers planted kharif crops in nearly 107 lakh hectares during the week of July 25-31, compared to 94.5 lakh hectares a year ago.
The overall deficit in kharif sowing has reduced from 5% to less than 3% since July 24. The current sowing area stands at 894.22 lakh hectares, down by 2.9% from the same period last year. The main cereal paddy, paddy, is down by 2.2% at 301.49 lakh hectares, while the production target for kharif 2026 is set at 123.15 million tonnes.
Among pulses, the deficit has further reduced to 6.3% from 7.5% in the previous week. Oilseeds acreage has exceeded the year-ago level, and there is a target of 28.92 million tonnes for the current season.
Written by urgent.news from Hindu BusinessLine's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — it may contain errors, so check the original before relying on it.
