Overview

• The total kharif sowing area reached 89.29 lakh hectares by June 13, up from 87.81 lakh hectares a year earlier
• Paddy acreage rose 13% to 4.53 lakh hectares, pulses expanded to 3.07 lakh hectares and oilseeds climbed to 2.05 lakh hectares
• On May 28 the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs approved MSP hikes for 14 kharif crops, ensuring prices at least 1.5 times production costs and boosting margins above 50% for staples like bajra and maize
• Improved monsoon forecasts have enabled sowing on unirrigated plots across nearly half of India’s farmland
• The Reserve Bank of India projects headline inflation will ease toward 4% next year as food costs moderate