Erratic monsoon pushes farmers towards low-water crops, vegetables
Erratic rainfall is reshaping India's kharif sowing patterns this season. Farmers are shifting acreage from staples to hardy crops and vegetables. Sunflower acreage has jumped significantly, and other crops like sesamum have also risen. Seed compa...
Erratic and below-normal monsoon rainfall is prompting farmers to shift from traditional kharif staples to low-water crops such as sunflower and sesamum, along with short-duration vegetables that require less water and offer faster returns.
New Delhi: Erratic and below-normal rainfall is reshaping India's kharif sowing pattern. While acreage under staples such as tur, soybean, maize and millets has declined, farmers are increasingly shifting to hardy crops and vegetables that require less water and offer quicker returns.
Government data as of July 24 shows acreage under sunflower has jumped 61.6% from a year earlier. The area sown under sesamum, kulith (horse gram), jute and mesta has also risen 8.3%, 15.6%, 2% and 3.7%, respectively.
Acreage under tur, soya, maize and millets declines; shift to hardy crops & vegetables
Seed companies are seeing the change play out in demand. Farmers are increasingly opting for short-duration vegetables, prompting companies to import additional seeds of coriander, cabbage and temperate cauliflower.
"Vegetables are becoming an attractive option because they mature quickly and require less water than many field crops," said Tauseef Khan, co-founder of Unnati, an agri start-up which supplies inputs such as seeds and pesticides to farmers.
East-West Seed, which specialises in vegetable seeds, has also reported stronger demand for onion seeds following improved rainfall in parts of Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat in the first week of July.
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The higher prices of the kitchen staple due to lower produce in the rabi season supported the farmers' sentiments.
The company said sweet corn has emerged as another preferred crop.
