Early kharif sowing shows healthy progress; rice, pulses area up

Although it is very early days, initial sowing of kharif crops has started on a positive note with the areas under pulses rising over the same period last year, while oilseeds area is at about the same level.

The area under rice has risen sharply in early sowing and farmers are expected to bring even more land under the crop to cash in the bullish outlook for cereals.

The actual pick-up in sowing will happen once the monsoon becomes active over Central and Western India.

Data shows that according to initial estimates, kharif crops were sown in about 6.91 million