Paddy acreage up 2.4 pc despite erratic monsoon

New Delhi, July 16 (PTI) Despite erratic rains, sowing of paddy, the key kharif crop, has progressed well with the paddy crop cultivation area increasing by 2.4 per cent to 124.78 lakh hectare as on today.

Farmers undertake plantation of paddy, pulses and other crops in the kharif season (summer) with the onset of South West monsoon, which continues till September.
According to the sowing data released by the Agriculture Ministry, farmers are estimated to have sown paddy in an area of about 124.78 lakh hectare till July 16, against 122.40 lakh hectare in the same period last year.

The acreage of paddy has increased in Punjab (23.75 lakh hectare), Chhattisgarh (19.07 lakh hectare), Assam (10.21 lakh hectare) and West Bengal (6.31 lakh hectare), the data showed.

However in Uttar Pradesh, Orissa, Karnataka and Bihar it did not register much improvement.