Experts said that fertilizer demand is indicating positive prospects for a good harvest
Kharif sowing is nearing completion as farmers have already planted crops in over 95 per cent of the normal area of about 1,097 lakh hectares (lh) so far. With about 44 lh covered during the past week ( against 63 lh in the previous week) and the lead over year-ago period further narrowing to less than 4 per cent, the government is keeping a close watch on crop losses due to heavy rains.
Experts said that fertilizer demand is indicating positive prospects for a good harvest. In Uttar Pradesh, the largest rice producing State, the paddy crop so far appears to be among the best in recent years, but the next 40 days will be crucial, said a senior agriculture scientist. Overall sales of fertilizers (urea, DAP, MOP and complex) during April-June quarter of current fiscal rose 13 per cent to 121.19 lakh tonnes.
On the other hand, sources in the government said there is wide variation of rainfall distribution among districts within a State this year and those rainfed districts where the monsoon is more than 30-40 per cent deficient, the crop yield may be affected advesrely. Similarly, if there is water logging for more than 15 days in pulses and oilseeds areas due to excess rainfall, there may also be damage to the crops, the sources said.
In Tamil Nadu, the Tirunelveli district has received 225.5 mm rainfall, which is 359 per cent higher than normal during June 1-August 19. In the same period, the State’s Thoothukudi has received only 8.3 mm rain, which is 65 per cent below normal. In Deoria, Uttar Pradesh, the rainfall was 88 per cent lower but 86 per cent higher in Etah district.
As many as 112 districts have received less than 30 per cent rains and the deficit is as high as 88 per cent in two districts, whereas 158 districts have received 30 per cent or more surplus rains.
“There is no harm to the crops, including cotton, so far. The higher rainfall has definitely helped, but less supply of canal water is definitely a concern,”said Sukhvider Pal Singh, a farmer in Rajasthan’s Sri Ganganagar district which has received 372.1 mm rainfall this season since June 1, which is 146 per cent above normal.
Rajasthan, among all the states, has received maximum monsoon rains this year with the weather bureau’s latest data show it at 448.1 mm, which is 39 per cent above normal.
“Due to excessive rains, crops like moong, bajra, urad, soybean, jowar, maize, groundnut, guar, moth, chola, sesame have been destroyed in some areas of Rajasthan and their sowing window has also ended. As the government is collecting premium from the bank accounts of farmers to deposit it to the insurance companies, it should be immediately stopped in case of those farmers where it is not possible to provide insurance after they lost the crops. They need compensation for the natural calamities and if at all premium is to be paid, it should be born by the government,” said farmer leader Rampal Jat.
According to the latest data released by the Agriculture Ministry, overall Kharif sowing is 3.7 per cent higher at 1039.81 lh as of August 15 from 1002.41 lh year-ago. The season’s acreage was 4 per cent up until August 8 and 5.1 per cent higher as on August 1.
The area coverage under Kharif season’s main cereal paddy has reached at 398.59 lh from 362.92 lh a year ago, which is 9.8 per cent higher while that of pulses reached 109.52 lh from 108.39 lh year-ago.
In the pulses category, urad (black matpe) acreage up 4.6 per cent at 20.82 lh from 19.9 lh and moong (green gram) acreage up by 2.9 per cent at 33.7 lh from 32.76 lh. Arhar (pigeon peas) area trailed by 3.1 per cent at 42.2 lh from 43.54 lh year-ago.
The coverage of nutri/coarse cereals has reached at 182.34 lh from 173.22 lh, up by 5.3 per cent in which maize area is up by 11.8 per cent at 92.79 lh from 82.97 lh, but Shree Anna (millets) areas are a tad lower — Jowar (sorghum) at 13.74 lh from 13.96 lh and bajra (millet) at 65.67 lh from 65.88 lh and ragi at 4.41 lh from 4.15 lh.
Oilseeds area dropped to 178.64 lh from 185.38 lh, down by 3.6 per cent. Soyabean acreage has slipped 3.8 per cent to 119.82 lh from 124.59 lh and that of groundnut acreage by 4.5 per cent to 43.98 lh from 45.07 lh. Sunflower area is also lower at 0.61 lh against 0.68 lh year-ago.
Cotton acreage too dropped 2.9 per cent to 107.87 lh from 111.11 lh. Both Sugarcane and Jute planting has been nearly completed and provisional data show that the cane area reached at 57.31 lh this year whereas jute coverage is 5.54.
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Published on August 19, 2025
