The growth in acreage alleviates concerns about a surge in food inflation, which has been more persistent than headline inflation in recent months.
Dhirendra Kumar
Published15 Jul 2024, 09:35 PM IST
The area under paddy, or rice, the main kharif crop, increased by 20.75% from a year ago, reaching 11.56 million hectares. (Mint)
The area under cultivation in the 2024-25 kharif season has increased by 10.3% year-on-year, reaching 57.5 million hectares (mh), following better monsoon rains during the last fortnight.
At 57.5 million hectares, or 53% of the normal sown area, the combined sown area of key kharif crops such as paddy, pulses, oilseeds, sugarcane and cotton, is up 10.3% year-on-year, according to data from the agriculture ministry released on Monday.
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This alleviates concerns about a surge in food inflation, which has been more persistent than headline inflation in recent months. The growth also reflects the efforts and favorable conditions supporting farmers across the country.
Crop sowing
The area under paddy, or rice, the main kharif crop, increased by 20.75% from a year ago, reaching 11.56 million hectares (mh). This rise in paddy cultivation is encouraging due to the crop's importance to food security and its role in the diet of millions of Indians.
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Pulses also witnessed a notable surge, with acreage growing by 25.89% to 6.2 million hectares, according to the data. tur (arhar) alone accounted for 2.8 million hectares. The pulse varieties include tur, urad and moong. Growth in pulses cultivation is significant in light of the country's efforts to boost production of protein-rich crops to meet domestic demand.
Similarly, the area under oilseeds recorded remarkable growth of 22%, reaching 14 mh. This is likely to enhance production of edible oils, reducing dependence on imports and supporting the domestic industry.
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Groundnut sowing area remained stable at 2.82 million hectares till 15 July, while soybean sowing area grew from 8.2 million hectares during the corresponding period in 2023 to 10.8 million hectares, while sunflower sowing area grew from 0.034 million hectares to 0.051 million hectares in