Rain, prices favour Kharif sowing

"Kharif food grain acreage is expected to be more this year as a result of good monsoon rains and higher market prices," Mishra told reporters.

India grows food grain crops over two seasons - kharif (summer) and rabi (winter). Summer sown crops like rice, oilseeds and coarse cereals comprise nearly 53 per cent of the country's total food grain output.

Mishra said higher food grain output would help realising the 4.1 per cent annual farm sector growth target for the 11th Plan period (2007-12).

"To have a clear picture about the kharif sowing, we'll have to wait for another 2-3 weeks," he said.

The south-west monsoon which arrived ahead of schedule this year has benefited rice, oilseeds, and coarse cereals sowing. Till last week, rice acreage stood at 5.6 million hectares, up 19 per cent on year, while coarse cereal acreage was 41.7 per cent higher on year at 6.7 million hectares, oilseeds showed 1 per cent more coverage at 5 million hectares with soybean acreage recording 12.7 per cent rise at 2.5 million hectares.

"We expect a good food grain production this year too," Mishra said. Mishra said the fourth and final advance food grain estimate for 2007-08 would be higher than the third advance estimate, released in April. "The final output estimate will not be less than the third estimate," he said.

The third advance estimate put India's 2007-08 food grain output at 227.3 million tonnes, including 95.7 million tonnes rice production and 76.8 million tonnes wheat output. The final food grain estimate is schedule for release Wednesday.

But Mishra conceded that the area under sugarcane cultivation was a cause for concern as there has been a drop in acreage due to low cane prices.

According to the farm ministry's weekly sowing data, farmers had sown sugarcane over 4.3 million hectares so far, down over 17 per cent from last year.