Deficient rains unlikely to impact kharif paddy acreage, say rice exporters
The delayed arrival of monsoon and its tardy progress in the key rice-producing regions of the country amidst developing El Nino conditions is unlikely to have any major impact on paddy acreage during kharif season this year, rice exporters have said. Rice is the major cereal crop for the kharif season and paddy acreage as on July 7 stood at 54.12 lakh hectares (lh), down 24 per cent against 71.10 lh a year ago.
BV Krishna Rao, President, The Rice Exporters Association, said rains have just started picking up. “In June we didn’t have good rains in the South while excess rains in the North-West, where the crop will be good this time. It’s still early days in the South. This week, we had good rain. Planting has begun in some areas under canal irrigation such as the Godavari basin, while it is yet to begin under Krishna and Tungabhadra basin. Paddy transplanting will go on till August 15. The overall acreage across the country may be 5 per cent up or down.”
Recommended for you
