ISLAMABAD: India's southwest monsoon continues to challenge the country's agricultural sector, as erratic rainfall has led to a decrease in kharif (autumn) crop sowing compared with last year, despite improved rainfall in some areas during August.
According to India’s Ministry of Agriculture, the total area sown under kharif crops stands at 107.11 million hectares as of Aug 28, which is 1.89 million hectares lower than the same period last year.
The ministry attributes the decline to below-normal and uneven monsoon rainfall across several major farming states.
Official data indicate that the overall kharif sowing area is currently 1.73% lower than last year, with the gap widening over the past week.
“Paddy cultivation has been among the worst affected, with rice planted over 414.10 lakh [41.41 million] hectares, down from 428.46 lakh [42.84 million] hectares a year earlier.”
The ministry further said, “The largest declines have been reported from Karnataka, Telangana, Jharkhand, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra.”
Ministry of Agriculture data shows that India’s coarse cereal crops have also suffered losses.
“Maize sowing has fallen by more than 4%, while ragi acreage has declined by over 30 % compared with last year.”
However, pulse cultivation has shown modest improvement, with higher sowing recorded for pigeon pea and urad.
The setback comes as August rainfall failed to erase India’s seasonal monsoon deficit.
The cumulative rainfall shortfall since June 1 has widened from around 13% at the end of July to nearly 14% by the end of August, despite heavier rains in some regions during the month.
Meteorologists say rainfall remained highly uneven, with significant deficiencies in Bihar, Andhra Pradesh, Punjab and parts of northeastern India.
Agricultural analysts warn that the inconsistent rainfall pattern has disrupted planting schedules and reduced soil moisture in rain-fed areas, putting crops such as rice, maize, soybean, cotton, and pulses at risk during their critical growth stages.
They caution that a weaker monsoon could lower agricultural production, increase food prices, and affect rural incomes in India.