With monsoon rains having been deficient by 18 per cent so far, sowing of summer kharif crops like paddy and pulses has not picked up pace as total acreage is less by 24 per cent at 124.94 lakh hectares as of now.
The arrival of the South-West monsoon was delayed by a week and the total rainfall was lower by 18 per cent till June 22, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD) which otherwise has forecast better than normal rains for the entire June-September after two drought years.
"Monsoon has not been adequate so far to boost kharif sowing. We are hopeful of good rains and the sowing situation would improve in coming days," a senior Agriculture Ministry official told PTI.
Farmers are eagerly waiting for good quantum of rains to start sowing in full swing, the official said.
Sowing of kharif crops begins from June with the onset of the South-West monsoon. Harvesting is taken up from October.
As per the ministry's latest data, area sown to paddy -- the main kharif crop -- was down at 19.86 lakh hectares as of today in the ongoing 2016-17 kharif season compared with 21.86 lakh hectares in the year-ago period.
Similarly, area under pulses was down 21 per cent at 9.66 lakh hectares as against 12.19 lakh hectares in the said period even as farmers have shifted to lentils this time, encouraged by higher support price.
The official said, "More area would be shifted to pulses from cotton and soyabean this time."
Coarse cereals acreage was also lower at 17.60 lakh tonnes till date compared with 18.19 lakh hectares in the year-ago period. Even area sown to oilseeds shrank sharply to 6.97 lakh hectares from 27.85 lakh hectares in the said period, the data showed.
Among cash crops, cotton area was down at 19.07 lakh hectares so far due to less coverage in Punjab, Haryana and Maharashtra, as against 34.87 lakh hectares a year ago.
However, the sugarcane area was slightly higher at 44.38 lakh hectares as against 41.58 lakh hectares in the same period last year.
Meanwhile, Care Ratings in a report, said sowing is expected to pick up further if water availability conditions improve in the country, thus bringing food inflation under control.
"The sowing of crops is to pick up further as the major portion of the monsoon season is still to run the course. The timely outreach of rains will chalk out the course for cultivation of crops and their availability in the market in coming months," Care Ratings said in a review of agricultural and monsoon conditions.
This will also determine the course of the current demand-supply mismatch in the market and might provide relief in terms of inflation, it added.
