Tracking the trend: June crop sowing slips below 10-year average

The actual outturn of the monsoon will be vital for replenishing reservoir and ground water levels, and supporting timely sowing and eventual yields

After a lull in June, farmers in north and central India expect to expedite sowing in the first week of July owing to rapid progress of the monsoon post June 29.

Sowing of major crops at the end of June stands at 16.5 million hectares, 15 per cent less than the average of the last decade, data from the department of agriculture shows. The reason behind this shortfall, experts say, is the long 15-day hiatus in the progress of the southwest monsoon over central and north India in June, despite the fact that rainfall in June was 95 per cent—near