Cotton and Oilseed Sowing Lags; Farmers' Hopes Now Rest on Rainfall
As of August 21, sowing of cotton and oilseeds during the Kharif season has remained slightly behind the figures for the same period last year. According to data from the Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, cotton has been sown across 108.45 lakh hectares, against a normal area of 125.51 lakh hectares. Last year, this figure stood at 108.73 lakh hectares, meaning the acreage is lower by 0.28 lakh hectares this year.
Total oilseed sowing stood at 188.38 lakh hectares, representing 94.15% of the normal area of 200.08 lakh hectares. This marks a marginal decline of 0.31 lakh hectares compared to the 188.69 lakh hectares sown last year.
Among oilseeds, the acreage for the most significant crop—soybean—stands at 121.35 lakh hectares, a decrease of 1.41 lakh hectares from last year's 122.76 lakh hectares. However, there has been an increase in the acreage for groundnut, sesame, and sunflower; groundnut reached 48.79 lakh hectares, sesame 10.81 lakh hectares, and sunflower 1.10 lakh hectares. Meanwhile, the area under castor cultivation dropped to 5.88 lakh hectares.
According to the IMD, the spell of rain is likely to continue in Central India. Widespread rainfall is expected in western Madhya Pradesh, while rainy conditions may persist in eastern Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh over the coming days. While the rainfall will benefit soil moisture, waterlogging and drainage issues could pose challenges for farmers in areas receiving heavy downpours.
Rainfall, crop growth, and final sowing figures in the coming days will determine the extent to which the initial shortfall in acreage impacts overall production.
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