Initial pulses' sowing takes a beating as farmers protest price fall

Increasing farmers' anger against falling prices of their produce, mainly pulses and vegetables, seems to have hit initial sowing of the former with the crop being planted in around 39 per cent lesser area than last year as on June 16.

Though full-fledged sowing is yet to take place and will gather steam as and when southwest monsoon reaches the rainfed areas of Central, Northern and western India, the initial signals are not very encouraging.

Competing crop like cotton seems to have gained with its area increasing by 36 per cent till June 16 as compared to the same period last year.

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