New Delhi: Taking price signals from last year, farmers have cut down area under arhar and soybean and increased planting of cotton, shows data on progress of Kharif sowing released by the agriculture ministry on Friday.
Sowing of arhar or pigeon pea is lower by 19% compared to last year, the data shows. While the area under soybean is lower by 18%, plantings of cotton are higher by 20%. Prices of both arhar and soybean plunged below minimum support prices (MSP) announced by the government following a record Kharif harvest last year on the back of a normal monsoon.
If the trend of lower planting of arhar persists, India could be back to scouting for the pulse in countries like Myanmar and Mozambique like it did during 2015-16 when a severe drought cut domestic output. Read more
Sowing of arhar or pigeon pea is lower by 19% compared to last year, the data shows. While the area under soybean is lower by 18%, plantings of cotton are higher by 20%. Prices of both arhar and soybean plunged below minimum support prices (MSP) announced by the government following a record Kharif harvest last year on the back of a normal monsoon.
If the trend of lower planting of arhar persists, India could be back to scouting for the pulse in countries like Myanmar and Mozambique like it did during 2015-16 when a severe drought cut domestic output. Read more