Paddy sowing up 3 pc to 180 lakh hectares till Jul 21 in Kharif season; pulses area down 10 pc to 86 lakh hectares

New Delhi, Jul 24 (PTI) Area under coverage for paddy is up 3 per cent to 180.2 lakh hectares till July 21 in the ongoing kharif (summer-sown) season, while the acreage of pulses is down 10 per cent to 85.85 lakh hectares, according to agriculture ministry data.

The paddy acreage stood at 175.47 lakh hectares in the corresponding period last year. Pulses area was 95.22 lakh hectares in the same period last year.

Paddy is the main kharif crop, sowing of which normally starts with the onset of southwest monsoon. About 80 per cent of the country’s total rice production comes from the kharif season.

As per the data, the acreage of Shri Anna-cum-coarse cereals has risen to 134.91 lakh hectares till July 21, as against 128.75 lakh hectares in the corresponding period last year.

In non-foodgrains category, area under oilseeds has increased to 160.41 lakh hectares, from 155.29 lakh hectares in the same period last year.

Groundnut sowing area has improved slightly to 34.94 lakh hectares from 34.56 lakh hectares. Area under coverage for soyabean rose to 114.48 lakh hectares from 111.31 lakh hectares.

The ministry’s data showed a marginal fall in cotton acreage to 109.69 lakh hectares from 109.99 lakh hectares.

Area under sugarcane stood at 56 lakh hectares, as against 53.34 lakh hectares, while the acreage of jute & mesta till July 21 this kharif season stood lower at 6.36 lakh hectares, as against 6.92 lakh hectares in the year-ago period.

Total acreage under all major kharif crops has increased to 733.42 lakh hectares as on Friday (July 21), as against 724.99 lakh hectares in the same period last year.

The southwest monsoon hit India on June 8, with its onset over Kerala against the normal date of June 1.

India is expected to get normal rainfall during the southwest monsoon despite the evolving El Nino conditions, the IMD had earlier said.

El Nino, which is the warming of the waters in the Pacific Ocean near South America, is generally associated with the weakening of monsoon winds and dry weather in India.

El Nino conditions this year follow three consecutive La Nina years. La Nina is the opposite of El Nino and it typically brings good rainfall during monsoon.