Women farmers sowing paddy in their field in Uttar Pradesh. (Deepak Gupta/ Hindustan Times via Getty Images)Despite monsoon rains having arrived in the country nearly a month late and floods having created havoc in large parts of the country, the area sown in the Kharif season is nearing the 2018 levels, ET reports.
"There is no damage to the crop. Deficient rains in June-mid-July have been compensated with healthy rainfall in latter half of July and entire August when the maximum sowing takes place in the country," a senior agriculture department official has been quoted as saying in the report.
The official however pointed out the reduced area under paddy crop, but expressed optimism that the deficit will be met once flood waters recede from areas. “Transplanting is still in progress in Odisha and West Bengal,” the official said.
The development bears good news for the government which is now expecting to meet the food grain production target of 291.1 million tonnes set for 2019. The dry spell in earlier months had been a cause of worry as deficient rains during the sowing seasons threatened the targets.
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