India’s winter crop acreage set for record on abundant soil moisture

Indian farmers have ramped up planting of winter crops including wheat, rapeseed and chickpea, putting the country on track for record acreage as abundant soil moisture enables cultivation even in typically rainfed areas that often remain fallow. The higher planting is expected to help the world’s second-largest wheat producer boost output, ease local prices, and potentially allow New Delhi to permit limited exports of wheat flour. Increased rapeseed production could also help the world’s biggest vegetable oil importer reduce its overseas purchases. Abundant monsoon rainfall this year improved soil moisture and boosted reservoir levels, which in turn is enabling farmers to expand the area under winter crops, said Harish Galipelli, director of ILA Commodities Pvt Ltd. Indian farmers have so far planted winter-sown crops on 47.9 million hectares since sowing began on October 1, up 6.1% from a year ago, data from the farm ministry showed. Wheat was planted on 24.14 million hectares, ...