(Bloomberg) -- India's farmers expanded planted areas for rice and pulses, helped by higher-than-average rains during the first half of the four-month monsoon season.
Rice has been planted on about 27.7 million hectares (68.4 million acres), up 5.3% from a year earlier, according to a statement from the farm ministry on Friday. India is the world's biggest exporter of the food grain.
The area allocated to pulses rose to 11.1 million hectares, a jump of 11% from a year earlier. Sowing of corn and oilseeds also increased.
The country's monsoon runs from June to September and rains are so far 6% above normal, according to the India Meteorological Department. Farmers usually begin sowing the monsoon crop in late May, and harvest it starting in late September.
Area for major crops:
NOTE: Corn figures are also included in total coarse cereals; oilseeds total adds soybeans and peanuts.
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