Vibha Sharma

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, August 22

Area under kharif crops like paddy saw a marginal decline of 1.55 per cent at 1,043.87 lakh hectares so far in the ongoing season, according to data released by the Agriculture Ministry on Sunday.

Officials attribute the decline to “deficient, scattered or erratic rainfall at the beginning of monsoon season”. The total area under kharif crops in the corresponding week last year was 1,060.37 lakh hectares. When compared with five-year average of 1,010.48 lakh hectares, the area increased by 33.40 lakh hectares, states the data.

Cotton has seen a decrease of 10.65 lakh hectares as compared to last year and constitutes the maximum component of the shortfall. But when compared with the normal average, the deficiency is only 1.01 lakh hectares.

Cotton acreage decreased marginally to 117.04 lakh hectares against 118.06 lakh hectares during the corresponding normal period. Less acreage is reported from Gujarat, Maharashtra, Andhra and Punjab due to deficient or erratic rains at the beginning of the season, officials say.

Sowing of kharif crops can be continued up to August-end, they say, adding “significant improvement in the progress of area coverage has been observed with the improvement of monsoon rains”.