India's kharif crop sowing area expanded by 6.51 lakh hectares to reach 1,121.46 lakh hectares as of Oct. 3, compared with 1,114.95 lakh hectares recorded in the same period last year, according to Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare data released on Monday. Coarse cereals such as maize, jowar, bajra, and ragi covered 194.67 lakh hectares this season, representing an 11.13 lakh hectare increase from 183.54 lakh hectares a year earlier, driven primarily by a 12 percent rise in maize cultivation to 94.95 lakh hectares.
Rice cultivation reached 441.58 lakh hectares, up 5.91 lakh hectares from last year, while sugarcane area grew to 59.07 lakh hectares from 57.22 lakh hectares. Enhanced monsoon rainfall facilitated sowing across unirrigated regions comprising nearly half the nation's farmland, and experts anticipate that higher production will boost farmer incomes and help control food inflation.
Rice cultivation reached 441.58 lakh hectares, up 5.91 lakh hectares from last year, while sugarcane area grew to 59.07 lakh hectares from 57.22 lakh hectares. Enhanced monsoon rainfall facilitated sowing across unirrigated regions comprising nearly half the nation's farmland, and experts anticipate that higher production will boost farmer incomes and help control food inflation.
