Kharif sowing more than last year's

Kharif sowing has been more than last year, despite a drop in overall monsoon rainfall in 2015, due to strong showers in June and its rather even distribution over some parts thereafter.

According to data issued by the department of agriculture on Thursday, kharif sowing was complete on 103.13 million hectares, 1.35 mn ha more than 2014. With the southwest monsoon withdrawing from parts of central and northern India, there is little scope now of any significant increase in the sowing.

Barring cotton, the area under all major kharif crops — paddy, pulses, coarse cereals, oilseeds — is more than last year.

According to the first advance estimate of kharif production in 2015-16, issued last month, India is expected to produce 124.05 million tonnes of foodgrain, almost four mt more than the first estimate of the 2014-15 kharif output.

However, when compared to the final kharif production of 2014-15, this year's first advance estimate is 2.26 mt less. The country had achieved a record 131.27 mt of kharif foodgrain production in 2011-12.

The 2015 monsoon season officially ended on Wednesday with an overall shortfall of 14 per cent, the worst since 2009. India Meteorological Department said from June 1 to September 30, the country got 760.6 mm of rain as against a normal of 887.5 mm.

Northwest India's deficiency was 17 per cent, followed by 16 per cent in central India, 15 per cent in the southern peninsula and eight per cent in east and northeast India.