With monsoon gathering pace across the country, sowing for major kharif crops has gathered steam. As per the latest government data, rice has been sown in around 169.71 lakh hectares, almost 7.6% more than the same period last year. Last year, rice wasn’t sown in large tracts of farmlands in eastern and northern parts of the country because of uneven rains.
However, this year, almost normal rains have helped farmers to sow their crops in time. The data also showed that coarse grains have been planted in around 141.42 lakh hectares, up from 132.40 lakh hectares sown during the same period last year. Oilseeds have been planted in 129.49 lakh hectares, up 4.5% from the same period last year.
India?s annual monsoon rains were 17% below normal in the week to July 21, improving after a 24% deficit in the previous week, the Met Department said. Weekly rainfall in the key crop-planting period was above normal in north India?s cane and rice-growing regions, but deficient in soyabean-growing areas of central India.
Meanwhile, the data, shows that the big gain in sowing has been in in pulses, sugarcane and cotton. The data shows that till middle of July this year, pulses acreage has risen by 18%, sugarcane by 13.25% and cotton by almost 20%. Incidentally, price of all three commodities went sharply up in 2009-10.
While, pulses prices almost doubled from last year, sugar prices had jumped to Rs 47 per kg in the retail markets by the end of 2009, easing subsequently because of stern measures by the government.
Cotton has flared up by almost 54% in 2009-10. Till July 22, pulses has been planted in around 57.23 lakh hectares, up from 50.55 lakh hectares sown during the same period last year, similarly, sugarcane has been planted in 47.37 lakh hectares till now, while last year, the crop was sown in around 41.79 lakh hectares. Cotton has been sown in 95.04 lakh hectares, up from 80.63 lakh hectares during July 22, 2009.
Officials said a good kharif harvest will further bring down the food inflation. Friday, chairman of Prime Minister’s Economic Advisory Council (PMEAC) said that inflation will come down to 10% by September. Food inflation has declined considerably and is now around 12.81% for the week ending July 10.
During the reporting week, while prices of chicken (6%), condiments & spices (3%), and milk, gram, fish-inland and fruits & vegetables (1%) went up, the price of moong (3%) and fish-marine, maize and arhar (1% each) declined.
Year-on-year, a number of essential items like pulses, fruits and milk remained quite expensive. Pulses prices rose by 23.79% , milk by 17.33% and fruits by 10.02%.
Earlier, finance minister Pranab Mukherjee and agriculture minister Sharad Pawar had expressed confidence that food inflation will moderate after new kharif crops arrive in the market, which will also ease overall inflation.