E-Paper
13% more sowing points to a bumper kharif crop
Timely onset and a steady advance of the monsoon have resulted in increasing summer acreage. A good south-west monsoon is critical because nearly 60% of India’s summer-sown area is dependent on rains because of lack of irrigation and the farm sector employs nearly half of the country’s workforce.
Farmers have planted kharif or summer-sown crops, which account for half of India’s annual food output, on 9.3 million hectares – 13.2% higher than last year’s level for this time of the year – in an indication that the agriculture sector has largely escaped the impact of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) outbreak so far.
The area sown is a critical gauge of the progress of cultivation, which depends on availability of inputs, such as fertilisers, seeds and pesticides, apart from weather. A larger sown area, aided by good weather, is an early sign of ample harvests.
Timely onset and a steady advance of the monsoon have resulted in increasing summer acreage. A good south-west monsoon is critical because nearly 60% of India’s summer-sown area is dependent on rains because of lack of irrigation and the farm sector employs nearly half of the country’s workforce.
Latest data from the agriculture ministry showed that farmers have sown pulses in 0.2 million hectares on June 13, 44.3% higher than sowing completed during the corresponding period last year. The acreage under oilseeds stood at 0.4 million hectares. Among cereals, sowing of the main summer staple, rice, was higher by 15.5% at 0.6 million hectares. Coarse cereals saw a 41.2% spike in sowing compared to the corresponding period last year.
The areas under cash crops have also seen increases. The area under cotton is up 23.4% at 1.9 million hectare currently. Farmers have also sown sugarcane on 4.8 million hectares, which is 1.3% higher than last year.
The monsoon so far has been surplus by 31%, India Meteorological Department’s data till June 14 shows. The rain-bearing system has pushed into central Arabian sea, some parts of north-east Arabian sea, Gujarat, Dadra & Nagar Haveli, Maharashtra, including Mumbai, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and partially into Bihar and Madhya Pradesh, progressing robustly, according to an IMD bulletin on Sunday.
A normal monsoon will lessen the strain on the agriculture economy from widespread disruptions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, analysts say.
Plentiful harvests are key to rural incomes and keeping the lid on inflation. Agricultural incomes push up rural demand for goods and services in the larger economy; this keeps the manufacturing going. For instance, in a good crop year, nearly half of all motorcycles are sold in rural areas, according to Citibank Research.
Agriculture has so far escaped the impact of the pandemic, largely due to sufficient rains and uninterrupted markets for seeds and fertilisers, which were exempt from the lockdown.
The farm sector is poised to grow at least 3% in 2020-21, despite the pandemic, according to the state-run think tank Niti Aayog’s assessment in April. There are other indicators of an uptick, such as higher sales of fertilisers.
According to data from the fertilisers ministry, fertiliser sales stood at 4 million tonne in May 2020, which is twice the total sale of about 2 million tonne during May 2019.
“The monsoon has advanced well. Rainfall has been good. Moreover, it seems water availability has not been a problem anywhere, resulting in good acreages,” said RS Mani, an economist with the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University.
