India, Aug. 26 -- The cultivation area in the Marathwada region of Maharashtra has shrunk by nearly 3.5 lakh hectares this year, with rainfall 20.3 per cent below average, according to agriculture department data.

The sowing area stands at 46.19 lakh hectares - down seven per cent from the five-year average of 49.72 lakh hectares and 2 lakh hectares less than last year, it said.

Marathwada, comprising Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Jalna, Beed, Parbhani, Nanded, Hingoli, Dharashiv and Latur districts, has received 479.1 mm of rain, 20.3 per cent less than the expected 586.1 mm. The deficit is sharper in Parbhani (34.7 per cent) and Latur (40.6 per cent), as per another official report.

The contraction is most visible in cash crops. Cotton ...