According to data, the coverage has reached 182.72 lakh hectares (lh) as of June 25, d
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A 42 per cent deficient monsoon (as of June 29) is impacting India’s kharif sowing. It is down 23 per cent, which is seen as the first signal of possible lower production amid the Super El Nino forecast. Though the monsoon has revived in some parts, its further advance will be keenly watched, as July is the most crucial period for sowing most of the crops.According to data, the coverage has reached 182.72 lakh hectares (lh) as of June 25, down from 236.46 lh a year ago. While sugarcane planting, which started much earlier but is considered under the kharif season, is the only one among major crop to show a rise in area, others such as paddy, arhar (pigeon peas), soyabean, groundnut, maize and cotton have reported a decline.The current coverage so far is 16.5 per cent of the season’s normal area of 1104.46 lh, whereas in the corresponding period a year ago, it was more than 21 per cent of the normal area. Officials said that the sowing period has just begun, and if the revival continues for a fortnight, there may be some good progress in sowing activities, even if it may not keep pace with the year-ago level, as last year India had a good monsoon.Cotton down 35%Kharif season’s main cereal paddy has been transplanted in 25.75 lh against 34.41 lh a year ago, while pulses acreage reached 14.92 lh against 21.46 lh and that of oilseeds at 16.99 lh against 36.41 lh. The coverage of nutri/coarse cereals reported 11.7 per cent lower at 31.84 lh against 36.41 lh.Cotton acreage is 35 per cent lower at 29.66 lh from 45.36 lh, while soybean down to 6.92 lh from 19.97 lh and groundnut to 8.87 lh from 15.29 lh.Among pulses, arhar sowing reached 3.56 lh, down from 8.45 lh, moong (green gram) 8.37 lh from 8.63 lh and urad (black gram) at 1.07 lh from 2.51 lh.Erratic progressAmong the coarse/nutri cereals, only jowar area showed an improvement at 3.38 lh from 2.70 lh a year ago, whereas bajra dipped to 11.34 lh from 13.06 lh, ragi at 0.66 lh from 0.73 lh and maize at 15.71 lh from 18.61 lh.Monsoon progress has been erratic since its onset over Kerala on June 4. India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Monday said that conditions are favourable for further advance of the southwest monsoon into some more parts of Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, remaining parts of Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Bihar, some parts of Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand during the next 2 days. Monsoon is also likely to advance to some more parts of Madhya Pradesh, parts of Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, south-east Rajasthan and remaining parts of Gujarat during the subsequent 2-3 days.Published on June 29, 2026
