Sowing of paddy rises around 4% and pulses down 8.53% this season

A report by Bank of Baroda pegs upto 4 per cent rise in kharif rice output, but 12 pc decline in pulses production

Sowing of kharif crops almost ended with paddy acreage standing at around 3.73 per cent more than the same period last year, while area under pulses was down 8.53 per cent during the week ended September 1.

All eyes are now on how the rains will fare in the coming weeks as most standing crops in big states like Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Telangana and Karnataka are facing moisture stress.
 

The stress is due to record deficit in August rains, which cumulatively was the lowest since 1901.
 

The Met department, in its September 2023 forecast issued earlier during the week, said that rains during the month could be normal at 91-109 per cent of the long period average (LPA). The LPA for September is 167.9 mm. It is around 19 per cent of the total seasonal rainfall.
 

Overall, the total kharif acreage was around 108 million hectares, which was nearly the same as the area covered last year.

Meanwhile, a crop-wise projection by Bank of Baroda said that a pick up in rice sowing has ensured that the output may improve marginally this year.

But, production of pulses is estimated to fall as it looks unlikely that the sowing area will change significantly. Production of oilseeds and sugarcane, the report said, will only be slightly higher than last year.
 

It said that swift supply-side interventions from the government have helped in keeping price pressures from spiraling, but risks remain from de-anchoring inflation expectations.

“We continue to maintain our inflation forecast for FY24 at 5.5 per cent, but do see upside risks,” the report said.