Lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic about global healthcare inequities have been slow to bring change
Indian farmers have accelerated the planting of summer-sown crops, such as paddy, soybean, cotton, and corn, following above-average monsoon rainfall in July that came after a deficit in June, according to government data.
Summer rains, critical for economic growth in Asia's third-largest economy, usually begin in the south around June 1 before spreading nationwide by July 8, allowing farmers to plant summer crops.
But in June India received 11 per cent less rain than average, after the monsoon lost momentum in mid-June and delayed sowing.
In the first half of July there was 9 per cent more rainfall than normal which helped farmers to plant summer crops on 57.5 million hectares by July 12, a tenth higher than last year, according to Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers' Welfare.
The lifeblood of the nearly $3.5 trillion economy, the monsoon brings nearly 70 per cent of the rain India needs to water farms and refill reservoirs and aquifers.
Without irrigation, nearly half of the farmland in the world's second-biggest producer of rice, wheat and sugar depends on the annual rains.
"Monsoon's revival will benefit summer crop planting and early-sown crops from June. Overall, the monsoon's revival in early July bodes well for crops and yields," said Ashwini Bansod, vice-president, commodities research at Phillip Capital India Pvt. Ltd.
Farmers have planted 11.6 million hectares with paddy, up 20.7 per cent on the same period last year, as record high prices prompted farmers to expand the area.
Higher rice planting could alleviate supply concerns in the world's second biggest producer and consumer of the grain.
The world's largest exporter of the grain surprised buyers last year by imposing a ban on the export of widely consumed non-basmati white rice, following a ban on broken rice.
Higher rice procurement by government agencies from last season's crop and expansion in paddy area could allow the government to ease restrictions on rice exports in October, said a New Delhi based dealer with a global trade house.
Farmers had planted 14 million hectares with oilseeds, including soybeans, against 11.5 million hectares a year earlier.
Corn was planted on 5.88 million hectares, up from 4.38 million hectares a year earlier. The cotton area was slightly higher at 9.6 million hectares, while pulses planting jumped by 26 per cent from a year ago to 6.23 million hectares.
The farm ministry keeps updating the provisional sowing figures as it gathers more information from the state governments.
Lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic about global healthcare inequities have been slow to bring change
UK tech tycoon Mike Lynch had invited friends and family onto the boat to celebrate his recent acquittal in a massive US fraud case
One 'Swaroop' (copy) was returned by Qatari authorities and it was assured that the other Swaroop is also kept with respect, said Indian authorities
The World Health Organisation in July declared an international health emergency over the spread of the disease
Borodaenko, a former engineering manager and cancer survivor, claims he was fired shortly after Musk acquired Twitter, for refusing to report to the office during the Covid-19 pandemic
The company said the patient, identified as Alex, did not face issues of 'thread retraction', unlike Noland Arbaugh, Neuralink's first patient who received the implant in January
Blinken urges Hamas to accept new US 'bridging' proposal
Both domestic and international departing flights were affected, said Ethiopian Airlines