Chennai, Sep 9 (IANS): The Kharif crop sowing is marginally lower in terms of acreage compared to last year, said Bank of Baroda in a report.

"Deficient rains in parts of the Gangetic belt has impacted acreage of rice and pulses. The dip in sowing activity has also prompted the government to curtail export of rice and needs further monitoring, with IMD (Indian Meteorological Department) predicting likelihood of extended seasonal showers before the withdrawal of Southwest Monsoon," the report notes.

For the week ending on Sep 2, 2022, overall kharif sown area has fallen by 1.3 per cent compared with last year.

Sown area of rice and pulses have declined by 5.6 per cent and 4.4 per cent respectively.

According to Bank of Baroda, within pulses, Arhar (2.7 per cent), Urad (1.6 per cent) and Moong (1.4 per cent) have registered a significant drop in acreage.

Area sown for oilseeds too (2.9 per cent) continues to remain low compared with last year's levels.

On the other hand, sown area of cotton (6.8 per cent) and sugarcane (1.7 per cent) have registered an improvement, the report said.