Will increased sowing of pulses ease retail inflation in coming months?

The total area sown with Kharif crops has grown significantly higher over the week with farmers picking up the pace of sowing with higher rainfall.

The total sown area as on July 22, 2016 stands at 692.98 lakh hectare as compared to 671.01 lakh hectare at this time last year, as per reports received from various States.

The areas sown with pulses has grown significantly in comparison to the same period last year. Sowing of pulses grew to 90.17 lakh hectares in comparison to 64.69 lakh hectares.

This comes as good news as the rise in prices of pulses is one of the reasons that has pushed retail inflation up in recent months. With the increased sowing and favourable weather conditions could pulses produce significantly increasing, thereby reducing its prices.

Other Kharif crops that have seen an increase in sowing include rice which grew to 183.06 lakh hectares in 2016-17 from 182.38 lakh hectares in the same period last week.

Coarse cereals grew to 130.80 lakh hectares from 126.27 lakh hectares in the same period last year. While oilseeds sowing increased to 149.16 lakh hectares from 143.03 lakh hectares in the same period last year.