Farmers sow more kharif crops than last year

Despite overall monsoon rainfall deficit of 15 per cent, farmers across the country have brought 1,012.01 lakh hectares of farmland under kharif cultivation, bettering the acreage from the same period last year.

Sowing of pulses saw an increase by 11 per cent over last year, with Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh farmers taking the lead as poor rainfall affected sowing in Maharashtra and Karnataka.

Data released by the Agriculture Ministry on Friday showed farmers in Madhya Pradesh have covered 17.180 lakh hectares of farmland under pulses cultivation — significantly higher than the normal area if 11.537 lakh hectares.

Similarly, Uttar Pradesh has seen pulses acreage rise to 10.760 lakh hectares against the normal area of 8.991 lakh hectares.