Kharif Seeding Progress Down 1.4M Hectares

VANCOUVER - Aug 24/12 - SNS -- India's farmers made limited progress seeding this year's pulses during the past week, with the result area planted so far this year is now down almost 1.4 million hectares form this time last year.

Farmers only managed to seed almost 300,000 hectares of pulses during the past week, which is normal for this part of the planting season, but well below what is needed to close the gap with last year.

Land in pulses now totals 8.83 million hectares, compared to 10.264 million at this time last year, 10.904 million in 2010 and 9.075 million in 2009. Normally, 92% of all the kharif season pulses that will be planted, have been planted by the start of the last week of August.

Though monsoon rainfall intensity has improved since the start of the month, India's total deficit remains at 16%. Monsoon rainfall in central India is 10% behind normal, compared to an 18% deficit in the southern peninsula, 25% in the northwest, and 15% over the east and northeast.

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