India's kharif rice sowing up 19% so far on account of good rains

Among cash crops, cotton planting has risen by 11.29 per cent to 121.25 lakh hectares so far in the current kharif season

Area sown to rice, the main kharif crop, has increased by 19 per cent to 26.660 million hectares so far across the country in the current kharif season on account of good rains, the agriculture ministry said on Friday.

Among cash crops, cotton planting has risen by 11.29 per cent to 12.125 million hectares so far in the current kharif season of the 2020-21 crop year (July-June) from 10.895 million hectares in the year-ago period.

Sowing of kharif crops begins with the onset of southwest monsoon from June, while harvesting from October onwards.

"There has been satisfactory progress of sowing area coverage under