Kharif sowing nears end, foodgrains output seen 10% down

Production of pulses is projected to fall to around 5 million tonnes from 6.16 million tonnes achieved earlier

With the southwest monsoon showing signs of withdrawal, the kharif sowing across India is slowly coming to a close. According to official statement, the pace of sowing of coarse cereals, pulses and paddy has slowed down, which effectively means that sowing is come to an end.

Officials said overall foodgrains production in 2012 is expected to fall by around 10% from the 130 million tonnes achieved last year, while pulses production is projected to fall to around 5 million tonnes from 6.16 million tonnes achieved earlier.

The statement said till Friday, paddy has been sown in around 36.37 million hectares, 502,000 lakh hectares more than the normal area, while coarse cereals has been planted in around 17.59 million hectares, 3.26 million hectares less than the normal area.

Pulses has been sown in around 9.98 million hectares, down 334,,000 hectares from normal area, oilseeds have been sown in around 17.43 million hectares at par with the normal area. In total kharif crops are planted in around 108 million hectares of land every year, however, this year it is expected to remain less as southwest monsoon was uneven during the initial part of the 2012 season.

Of late, there has been some improvement in rains, but it has been not enough to recoup the losses suffered earlier. The overall shortfall in southwest monsoon has dropped to just 5% till September 20, down from a high of around 20% in end July. During the week ending September 19, India received around 44% above average rainfall.