Kharif sowing on rise, lower output of rice likely amid patchy rainfall

The area under most kharif or summer-sown crops critical for the country’s food security rose in the week ended July 29, compared to the same period last year, official data showed on Friday, but experts said they expected lower output of the main staple rice due to a patchy monsoon, potentially pushing up cereal prices.

The Union government did not share estimates of paddy acreage for the second consecutive week, along with cotton, in its weekly update released on Friday.

Last week, responding to a query from HT, a spokesperson for the agriculture ministry had said that data for rice acreage were still being collected. Estimates from the week ended July

Most kharif crops have to be sown during July.

15, when the government last shared estimates of rice acreage, had shown a 17% deficit in planting on an annual basis.

Private forecasters said the sowing window, or the period available for rice transplantation, was shrinking fast as key paddy growing states such as Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and Bihar continued to face large deficits in rainfall. Most kharif crops have to be sown during July. “Since rainfall continues to be poor in rice-growing belts of

Uttar Pradesh and the Gangetic plains, we expect rice output to be 10-15% lower than last year,” said Rahul Chauhan of IGrain India Pvt Ltd, a commodity-trading firm. In 2021-22, India’s output of rice was nearly 128 million tonne.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Friday said that a pause in the monsoon over the Indo-Gangetic plains is likely to impact paddy sowing across north and eastern Indian states.

Paddy growers in eastern and northern states have fewer options now to shift to other crops, compared to cultivators in central and southern Indian states, such as Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka and Maharashtra, Chauhan said. “So, those who have sown paddy in eastern India and states like Uttar Pradesh will face hardships.”