Rabi on a roll: Current season may go up against December last year

Sowing for the rabi, or winter crop, season has covered 34.8 million hectare (ha) by November 27 — 4 per cent more than in the entire previous season and 2 per cent above the average of the past five years. But will the momentum sustain for the full sowing season, which starts in November and stretches till January-end?
 
According to rating agency CRISIL, kharif harvest was delayed last year, so acreage growth under rabi was on a low base till November 2019. But from December, sowing picked up. Hence, rabi sowing for the current season will be up against the high base of last December.
 
So far this year, rabi sowing has been spurred by abundant rains: an overall 9 per cent above-normal monsoon has led to high soil moisture and 19 per cent higher reservoir levels compared with the average of the past five years.
 
Timely kharif harvest has also ensured rabi sowing was on schedule.      

 

*Till Nov 27, 2020; **Rabi sowing season is usually between November through Jan-end of the next year; all years denote marketing year (Jan-Dec); for e.g., rabi sown in 2020 will be considered in marketing year 2021, as it is marketed between March to June; ‘normal’ in sowing refers to average of past 5 years