Chennai, Aug. 21 -- The southwest monsoon's steady progress has resulted in higher Kharif sowing this year than last year, with acreage for all crops tracking at 95 per cent of the normal sown area, said a senior economist with Bank of Baroda.
"Region-wise, with the exception of east and northeastern India, which has reported deficient rainfall (-18 per cent), other regions such as northwestern regions (12 per cent), southern peninsula (10 per cent) followed by central region (6 per cent) have reported surplus rainfall," economist Jahnavi Prabhakar said.
Out of 36, 33 sub-divisions (92 per cent of the country) have received normal to excess rainfall during this period, while four states are in the deficient zone.
"In the coming week, Ind...