Monsoon 1% below normal at half-way mark; kharif sowing improves

According to the latest crop sowing report, kharif crops have been sown in around 84.81 mn hectares till July 30, which is 4.7% lower than the same period last year

As the southwest monsoon reaches the half-way mark in its four-month journey in the country that started in June, sowing of kharif crops has further gained traction as the rains have, after a long hiatus, become active over the main areas of Central, Western and North-Western India. According to the latest crop sowing report, kharif crops have been sown in around 84.81 million hectares till July 30, which is 4.7 per cent lower than the same period last year. Till last week, the difference between the area covered this year and the last was 8.9 per cent and before that it was 11.6 per cent. Area covered under pulses and oilseeds, the two major kharif crops improved as compared to last week, but it is still less than the level achieved in 2020. The southwest monsoon was cumulatively one per cent less than normal till July 30.