Indian farmers have planted 123 acres with summer crops down 10.43% from a year earlier. The Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare said that the farmers began planting summer-sown crops on June 1. This was the time when the monsoon is likely to reach India. Planting then continues until early August.
A report conducted by the Union ministry showed that planting of rice, the key summer crop, was at 11.5 million hectares as of July 9 versus 12.6 million hectares in the previous year. The cotton planted area was at 8.6 million hectares versus 10.5 million hectares the yesteryear. Sugarcane sowing in the world’s second-biggest sugar producer was almost unchanged at 5.3 million hectares.
India is one of the world’s top agriculture producers. and this year the country has received 5% below average rainfall since June 1, when the four-month rainy season began. Monsoon rains were 46% below average in the week to July 7. IMD said, average, or normal, rainfall as between 96% and 104% of a 50-year average of 88 cm for the entire season.
As per the Reuters reported, India’s top weather official said, Monsoon rains, which turned patchy at the tail-end of June, will pick up later this week. Nearly half of India’s farmland has no irrigation and is dependent on monsoon rains that account for 70%-90% of annual rainfall. Farming contributes almost 15% to India’s $2.7 trillion economies.
Discussion about this post