Kharif Sowing Declines 3% Despite 81% Coverage

India’s farmers started planting summer crops, called Kharif, a little slower than last year.

They planted about 894 million hectares, which is 3% less than the same time last year, but they covered 81% of the area that is normally planted.

Rice, the main crop, was planted on 301 million hectares, a bit less than before.

The rain from the southwest monsoon was 12% below normal, and the ocean’s warm water (El Nino) is making the weather even drier.

Water stored in reservoirs is about 65% of last year’s level, which is a bit lower than normal for many states.