Business Insider

While coronavirus battered Indian automobile industry sales, investors were betting on Escorts long term prospects. The shares of the tractor major have jumped almost 70% since March 31— all thanks to the whopping demand for its tractors in rural India despite the economic slowdown.

The Hindu

Indian farmers have planted 79.9 million hectares with summer crops so far, according to the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare, up 18.3% from last year as robust monsoon rains spurred sowing in the world’s leading producer of farm goods.

Farmers generally start planting rice, corn, cotton, soybeans, sugarcane and peanuts, among other crops, from June 1, when monsoon rains typically arrive in India. Sowing usually lasts until July or early August.

News Click

As a result of these continued good harvests, the food grain stocks maintained by the government are full to the rafters. As of July 20, stocks of rice, wheat and coarse grains in the central pool were 824 lakh tonnes. In June, the stocks were at the peak at 835 lakh tonnes. As can be seen in the chart below, June is the month when central stocks hit their highest level every year after the rabi harvest – mainly wheat – has come in.

Money Control

Riding on favourable rainfall in the third week of July, the area of major kharif crop sowing in the country increased by 18.50 percent over the corresponding period of the previous year, according to the latest data available with the Ministry of Agriculture.

Sowing data of major kharif crops such as paddy, pulses, coarse cereals and oilseeds on July 24 showed that a total of 799.95 lakh hectare have been covered this year, compared to 675.07 lakh hectare in the last Kharif season.