With improvement in the southwest monsoon, kharif sowing has picked up and is now only 8.89 per cent lower than last year. Out of a total of 881.80 lakh hectares sown till now last year, 803.32 lakh hectares has been planted so far.
Although there are still concerns about the lower sowing of oilseeds, pulses and coarse cereals, the paddy plantation is less by only 5.18 per cent over last year and cotton sowing is higher by 1.9 per cent over last year.
According to the India Meteorological Department, till August 8, monsoon was 18 per cent below the long period average with the highest departure of 32 per cent in northwest India.
As per the official data released by the Ministry of Agriculture on Friday, paddy has been sown in 267.33 lakh hectares against 273.17 lakh hectares sown last year.
In the case of pulses, the acreage so far is 76.09 lakh hectares as against 89.02 lakh hectares sown in the corresponding period last year. There has been less coverage in parts of Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Gujarat that are facing rainfall deficiency.
The shortfall in the sowing of coarse cereals, however, is still high at 20.89 per cent over last year. So far 140.15 lakh hectares has been sown against 177.16 lakh hectares in the corresponding period last year. A lesser area has been covered in parts of Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Tamil Nadu.
As for sowing of oilseeds, owing to deficient rainfall in parts of Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu the acreage is lower by 12.36 per cent over last year in the corresponding period. So far 152.23 lakh hectares has been grown against 173.71 lakh hectares same time last year.
Sugarcane cultivation this year has been in 47.17 lakh hectares compared to 50.32 lakh hectares in the corresponding period last year, a gap of 6.24 per cent.
Cotton sowing, however, has picked up with 112.24 hectares sown this year as against 110.12 lakh hectares last year.
The average storage in 85 reservoirs is reported to be 57 per cent of the total storage capacity of these reservoirs. Average water levels on August 7 were 82 per cent of the storage of the corresponding period last year.
The average water storage is higher in the eastern region but lower than last year in northern, western, central and southern regions owing to delayed and deficient monsoon.
