Rains likely to spell trouble for kharif acreage in India, shows data

The area under kharif further improved during the week ended August 23 as sowing was almost complete in most crops. Data showed that till August 23, kharif crops have been sown in around 106.5 million hectares — almost 2 per cent more than the area covered during the same period last year but 2.81 per cent less than the normal acreage (which is the average of the last five years). The good news is that the areas under arhar, groundnut, soybean, and cotton are more than their five-year average. However, all eyes will be on the weather in the next few weeks as surplus rains in September could inundate fields and cause lodging which is bad for the final yield. Till August 27, the Southwest monsoon has been 7 per cent more than normal with Central and Southern India recording rains which were more than 17 per cent surplus so far in the season. With La Nina setting in, the rains may get even stronger.