News > India's summer crop planting lags as monsoon rains taper off

India's summer crop planting lags as monsoon rains taper off

Indian farmers have planted 49.9 million hectares (123 million acres) with summer crops, down 10.43 per cent from a year earlier, according to the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers' Welfare, as monsoon rains taper off after a strong start last month.

Planting of rice, the key summer crop, was at 11.5 million hectares as of July 9 versus 12.6 million hectares in the previous year, the ministry said.