Kharif sowing reaches 110.85 million hectares, exceeding five-year average

New Delhi: Aided by good monsoon rains, the acreage under kharif crops has risen 1.87% year-on-year to 110.85 million hectares (mh) as of 27 September, and also surpassed the five-year average.

Last year's coverage was 108.82 million hectares. The current sowing of kharif crops, including paddy, pulses, oilseeds, sugarcane and cotton, surpassed the five-year average of 109.6 mh by 1.14%, the agriculture ministry said in a statement on Tuesday.

The average year in kharif sowing is based on the usual area from 2018-19 to 2022-23.

Paddy sowing stood at 41.45 million hectares, a 3.24% rise from the average area of 40.15 mh and a 2.47% increase from 40.45 mh a year ago.

Also Read: Better harvest in rice, wheat, millets to fuel record output

Coarse cereals, or shree anna, also saw a 6.85% increase to 19.34 mh over the normal 18.10 mh. It was 4% higher than the 18.60 mh sown during the same period in 2023.

Pulses, another key kharif crop, recorded a 7.47% rise in sowing, expanding to 12.81 mh from 11.92 mh last year, with tur (arhar) dal alone accounting for 4.65 mh.

Oilseeds, too, saw a slight increase in sowing area to 19.61 million hectares from 19.09 million hectares in 2023, while sugarcane remained stable at 5.76 million hectares.

Also Read: Kharif crop sowing at 110.46 mn hectares, surpasses normal for the season

However, some crops recorded declines, with jute and mesta falling to 574,000 hectares from 667,000 hectares and cotton dropping to 11.29 million hectares from 12.37 million hectares last year.

The bumper sowing has strengthened confidence among policymakers, as kharif production constitutes about 60% of India's total foodgrains output.

The increase in pulses sowing areas is a positive indicator for the agriculture sector and reflects the government's commitment to enhancing farm productivity. It could potentially lead to a reduction in prices for this crucial protein source, provided the harvest is favourable.

Broad increases across various crops largely alleviate concerns about a surge in food inflation, which has been more persistent than headline inflation in recent months.

Food inflation

Food inflation, a persistent challenge, rose to 5.66% in August from 5.42% reported in July. This was the lowest since June 2023, when it was 4.55%. Food inflation rose to 9.36% in June, to 8.69% in May, and 8.70% in April.

With the southwest monsoon concluding on 30 September, overall rainfall has exceeded the benchmark long period average (LPA) by about 8%, falling within the above normal range, as forecasted by the India Meteorological Department (IMD) in May of this year.

Also Read: Kharif crop sowing surpasses average area driven by paddy, pulses and coarse cereals