Paddy sown in just around 50% of normal area in Jharkhand till Sep 2

Most parts of India were likely to get normal to above normal rainfall in September, says IMD

The area covered under paddy, the biggest food grain grown during kharif season, has improved in the last few weeks. It has reached almost 90 per cent of the normal area in most monsoon-deficient states, making up for the lag since July.

In some states like Jharkhand, the sowing is still down and was just 50 per cent of normal area till September 2. With sowing about to end in almost all major growing states, there is little chance of any big improvement in acreage in places left behind.

Normal area is the average covered under a particular crop in the last five years (2016-17 to 2020-21). Paddy has been sown till date nationwide in around 96.5 per cent of the normal area. Compared to 2021, the acreage is almost 6 per cent less.

Total kharif crops have been sown in around 107 million hectares till September 2: less than 2 per cent lower than the area covered during the same period last year.

The late surge in southwest monsoon over central, western, and southern parts of the country could affect other standing crops.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD), in its second stage forecast released last week, had said that the southwest monsoon may exit the country this year "with a bang". Most parts of the country were likely to get normal to above normal rainfall in September, except for East and Northeast India and particularly states like Jharkhand that will continue to remain parched.

IMD said that due to the re-emergence of active monsoon conditions the forecast for withdrawal that it issued last week stands updated now and a fresh date of withdrawal will be issued later.

Mrutyunjay Mohapatra, IMD’s director general, said that for the country as a whole rainfall in September is expected to be 109 per cent of the Long Period Average (LPA). The LPA for September is 167.9 millimeters.

The following chart captures how the sowing progressed in states that have had received deficient rainfall.