Paddy acreage up 4% so far this Kharif season on good monsoon rains

New Delhi: Area under coverage for paddy has increased 4 per cent so far in Kharif sowing season this year to 408.72 lakh hectares on better monsoon rains, according to the government data. Paddy acreage stood at 393.57 lakh ha during the corresponding period of the last year. According to an official statement, the pulses acreage has risen to 125.13 lakh hectare so far in Kharif sowing season compared to 116.66 lakh hectare during the corresponding period of last year. The area under coverage for coarse cereals has increased to 187.74 lakh hectare so far this kharif season against 181.06 lakh hectare during the corresponding period of last year. In the non-food grains category, the acreage of oilseeds has increased to 190.63 lakh hectare so far this year from 188.83 lakh hectare in the year-ago period. A total of "57.68 lakh hectare area coverage under sugarcane has been reported compared to 57.11 lakh hectare during the corresponding period of last year," the statement said. The total area under coverage in the ongoing kharif sowing season has reached 1,087.33 lakh hectare so far, as against 1,066.89 lakh hectare in the same period of 2023 kharif season.