Indian farmers rush to plant summer crops after monsoon revives
By ashish wagh 2024-07-16 19:26:01
As soon as the monsoon returns, Indian farmers hurry to plant summer crops.
Indian farmers have rushed to plant summer crops such as paddy, soybean, cotton and maize following above-average monsoon rains in July after a poor June spell, according to government data.
Monsoon rains, crucial for India's economic growth, normally begin in southern India around June 1 and spread across the country by July 8, allowing farmers to plant summer crops. However, June received 11% less rain than average, delaying sowing.
According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, the first fortnight of July received 9% more rain than normal, helping farmers plant summer crops on 57.5 million hectares (142 million acres) by July 12, a tenth more than last year.
Farmers have sown paddy on 11.6 million hectares, 20.7% more than the same period last year. Higher rice sowing could ease the country's supply concerns. Higher rice purchases by government agencies from last season's crop and an expansion in paddy acreage could allow the government to ease restrictions on rice exports in October, a New Delhi-based dealer said.
Farmers sowed oilseeds, including soybeans, on 14 million hectares of land, compared with 11.5 million hectares a year earlier. Maize sowing was on 5.88 million hectares, up from 4.38 million hectares a year earlier. Cotton acreage rose slightly to 9.6 million hectares, while sowing of pulses rose 26% to 6.23 million hectares from a year earlier.
