Scanty rains causing kharif sowing lag; lack of irrigation adding to woes

The Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers' Welfare on Friday, said that the sowing of kharif crops including paddy is 10.43 percent less on a YoY basis, at 499.87 lakh hectares. Till July 9, almost 45 percent of the sowing was completed in the total kharif area of about 1,000-1,100 lakh hectares. In the year-ago period, kharif crops were covered in 558.11 lakh hectares.

Until the third week of June, we were 38 percent in excess of monsoon, and between June 22 and July 10, the monsoon actually took a bit of pause, which is exactly why there is a sowing lag as well.

The monsoon or the kharif sowing starts from June 1, goes on until the first week of August, but most of this sowing is done by mid-July, and the rest of the sowing is actually for later cash crops or quick growing crops.

As per the ministry's data, paddy sown area is down at 114.82 lakh hectares so far in the 2021-22 kharif season as against 126.08 lakh hectares in the year-ago period. Less coverage of paddy was reported from Bihar at 2.74 lakh hectares, followed by Chhattisgarh at 2.18 lakh hectares, Assam and Haryana at 1.37 and 1.31 lakh hectares, respectively. Similarly, area under pulses remained marginally lower at 52.49 lakh hectares from 53.35 lakh hectares in the year-ago period.

Among cash crops, area sown to cotton was lower at 86.45 lakh hectares so far this kharif season as against 104.83 lakh hectares in the year-ago period.

The Ministry says that they are looking at concerns in various areas. “Nearly 50 percent of India has no irrigation and this is a major concern area.”

As of now, there is deficient monsoon in most of North-west India, especially in Rajasthan, Gujarat, Western UP, Haryana and Punjab, etc. These are the major crop belt areas as well.