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Monsoon-Sown Rice Area Drops 17.4% In India, Agri Ministry Says

India’s June-September monsoon rains were 13% above average as of July 14.

<div class="paragraphs"><p>Farmhands sow rice saplings at a flooded paddy field in Karnal district, Haryana, India.</p></div>
Farmhands sow rice saplings at a flooded paddy field in Karnal district, Haryana, India.

Farmers in India, the world’s second-biggest rice grower, have planted the crop on 12.85 million hectares (31.8 million acres) of land as of July 15, a decline from 15.55 million a year earlier, according to the farm ministry.

The area allocated for sugarcane has fallen 0.7% to 5.33 million hectares so far this year, while cotton has been planted on 10.28 million hectares, up 6.4% from a year earlier, the ministry said Friday.

India’s June-September monsoon rains were 13% above average as of July 14, according to the India Meteorological Department. Sowing of monsoon-sown crops normally begins in late May and peaks in July, while harvesting starts in late September.

Area under major crops:

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