Paddy acreage still down 13%, triggers final output fall concerns

In several states, farmers have already moved on to other short-duration crops such as pulses and coarse cereals abandoning paddy

The area under paddy — the biggest foodgrain during the kharif season — was almost 13 per cent lower in the week ended August 5 as compared to the same period last year despite a slight pick-up in rains in the main growing regions, triggering fears of a 10-12 million-tonne drop in final output.

Sources said with the peak sowing season for paddy almost coming to an end in the big-growing states, any uptick in coverage from here onwards may not give the desired yields.

With 30 per cent of normal average area in which paddy is grown every year