Arhar, soybean, sunflower acreage likely to remain less than last year

Sowing of many kharif crops have completed in almost 70% of the normal area this season so far

With sowing of many kharif crops completed in almost 70 per cent of the normal area, farmers would appear to be increasingly responding to price signals.

Sowing will continue for some more weeks and should get a boost from monsoon revival. However, unless there is a big lift, the total area under arhar (red gram), soybean, groundnut and sunflower seems likely to remain less than last year, indicated official data issued on Friday. Sowing of many kharif crops is complete in almost 70 per cent of the normal area covered.

Last year saw a sharp fall in prices of many crops, forcing central and state governments to intervene and purchase directly from farmers. In soybean, retail prices have remained around Rs 3,000 a quintal for two years. In arhar and moong (green gram), it dipped to around Rs 4,500 a qtl, much lower than the Centre's minimum support price (MSP) of Rs 5,050 a qtl and Rs 5,225 a qtl, respectively. The MSP of soybean was Rs 2,775 a qtl for 2016-17.

The price drop has also led to widespread farmer unrest across the country.

Data from the department of agriculture showed that till Friday, the area under arhar was 19.2 per cent less than last year at this time. That under soybean, groundnut and sunflower seed was around 17.8 per cent, 11.5 per cent and 19 per cent less.

The acreage seems to have shifted to cotton in some parts, particularly so with soybean and groundnut. The area under cotton has risen almost 21 per cent as compared to the same period last year.

Overall, till Friday, around 68.5 million hectares was brought under kharif crops. This is nearly two per cent more than the same period last year and a little over five per cent more than the normal area (past five years' average) sown.

The southwest monsoon, meanwhile, showed strong signs of revival across parts of the country, with the week ending Wednesday recording 11 per cent excess rain. India Meteorological Department says the country got 75.3 mm of rainfall during July 12-19, the normal being 67.6 mm.

The extra showers were largely concentrated in the central and western parts. These pushed the overall average into positive territory and the cumulative average for the entire season, as on Wednesday, was one per cent more than normal. Till a week earlier, it was one per cent below normal.