Reasons behind Increased Sowing in Current Kharif Season 2020-21

Higher water levels in reservoirs, more-than-normal rains in the current summer season and expectation of a good monsoon have motivated farmers to increase the pre-kharif area under crops like paddy, moong, maize, bajra and groundnut, resulting in a 36% year-on-year rise in crop area so far. This was possible owing to the heavy rains which happened due to heavy rains towards the end of rabi season. The cropping sentiments were also boosted by the IMD forecast of Normal Monsoon for the year 2020-21. The advancement of monsoon in most part of the country about a week to 10 days ahead of scheduled date has also boosted the sowing sentiments.  

 One point needs to be noted that the kharif crop has taken incremental jump in the states of Gujarat, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh and the crops affected are pulses and oilseeds which is majorly concentrated in these 4 states. As per figures of sowing till 27^th June 2020, the area under coarse grains have been hiked by 100 per cent followed by the biggest increase is in oilseeds, under which area has gone up by more than six times. The area under pulses has increased by up to three times.

 The current pace of sowing is encouraging but the real development lies the months of July and August where the country is expecting 103 % and 97% rains over LPA, where conditions of flood is expected to be more rampant than the previous years, which might force more cases of replanting of seeds impacting the yield and total quantum of kharif crop production.