India's kharif sowing falls 16% as El Nino weakens monsoon
India
India's kharif crop sowing has dropped 16% this year, with only 531.25 lakh hectares planted so far, down from over 632 lakh hectares last year.
The main reason? A weaker southwest monsoon, thanks to El Nino, has left fields much drier than usual.
Paddy and pulses fall, sugarcane up
Staple crops like paddy are down nearly 9%, and pulses have taken an even bigger hit, dropping over 23%.
Coarse cereals, oilseeds (like soybean), and cotton have all seen double-digit declines too.
But it's not all bad news: sugarcane and jute/mesta actually edged up a bit this season, showing some crops can handle tough weather better than others.