Indian farmers have accelerated the planting of summer-sown crops, such as paddy, soybean, cotton and corn, following above-average monsoon rainfall in July that came after a deficit in June, according to government data.
Summer rains, critical for economic growth in Asia's third-largest economy, usually begin in the south around 1 June before spreading nationwide by 8 July, allowing farmers to plant summer crops.
But in June India received 11 per cent less rain than average, after the monsoon lost momentum in mid-June and delayed sowing.
In the first half of July, there was 9 per cent more rainfall than normal which helped farmers to plant summer crops on 57.5 million hectares (142 million acres) by 12 July, a tenth higher than last year, according to the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers' Welfare.
The lifeblood of the nearly USD 3.5 trillion economy, the monsoon brings nearly 70 per cent of the rain India needs to water farms and refill reservoirs and aquifers.
Without irrigation, nearly half of the farmland in the world's second-biggest producer of rice, wheat and sugar depends on the annual rains.
"Monsoon's revival will benefit summer crop planting and early-sown crops from June. Overall, the monsoon's revival in early July bodes well for crops and yields," said Ashwini Bansod, vice president of commodities research at Phillip Capital India.
Farmers have planted 11.6 million hectares with paddy, up 20.7 per cent on the same period last year, as record high prices prompted farmers to expand the area.
Higher rice planting could alleviate supply concerns in the world's second-biggest producer and consumer of grain.
The world's largest exporter of grain surprised buyers last year by imposing a ban on the export of widely consumed non-basmati white rice, following a ban on broken rice.
Higher rice procurement by government agencies from last season's crop and expansion in paddy area could allow the government to ease restrictions on rice exports in October, said a New Delhi-based dealer with a global trade house.
Farmers had planted 14 million hectares with oilseeds, including soybeans, against 11.5 million hectares a year earlier.
Corn was planted on 5.88 million hectares, up from 4.38 million hectares a year earlier. The cotton area was slightly higher at 9.6 million hectares, while pulses planting jumped by 26 per cent from a year ago to 6.23 million hectares.
The farm ministry keeps updating the provisional sowing figures as it gathers more information from the state governments.
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