Mumbai, July 21 -- Kharif sowing spiked in last few days. Around 127 lakh hectares (lh) of area were covered under kharif sowing during the July 11-17 period, compared to 67.78 lh a year ago. This has led to a remarkable recovery in the area of sowing, as the overall deficit has now contracted to 6%, down from 16% as of July 10. The total sowing area in the ongoing kharif season stands at 531.25 lh as of July 17 compared with 632.69 lh in the year-ago period, the Agriculture Ministry said in its weekly update. Acreage under major crop paddy is at 166.41 lh against 167.83 lh a year ago, down 0.80% on year.

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