Kharif acreage improves further but heavy downpour a cause for concern

Relentless monsoon has damaged standing crops as in many places; heavy impact on pulses in Rajasthan, Maharashtra and parts of UP

The area covered under kharif crops further improved during the week ended August 6, as the southwest monsoon continued its good run over the Central, West and Northern parts of the country.

Between last week and this week, the short fall in kharif acreage has narrowed from 4.71 per cent (as on July 30) to 2.36 per cent (as on August 6).

However, as compared to the normal acreage (which in this case is the average area covered during full sowing season of the past five years), the sowing of kharif crops was almost 15 per cent down.

The relentless