★Kharif sowing in Gujarat stood at 50.80 lakh hectares as of July 21, down nearly 13% from 58.40 lakh hectares a year ago. Against the state's normal kharif area of 85.30 lakh hectares, nearly 60% has been covered so far.

★Among major crops, bajra acreage declined to 0.81 lakh hectares and paddy acreage fell to 2.26 lakh hectares, while maize acreage remained almost unchanged at 2.19 lakh hectares. In pulses, moong acreage dropped sharply to just 0.08 lakh hectares, whereas tur and urad acreage increased. As a result, the total pulses area rose to 1.99 lakh hectares.

★Total oilseed acreage declined to 19.30 lakh hectares, mainly due to a fall in groundnut acreage to 16.50 lakh hectares. In contrast, soybean acreage increased to 2.49 lakh hectares. Cotton acreage also declined to 18.80 lakh hectares compared with last year.

★According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), Gujarat received 181.7 mm of rainfall between June 1 and July 20, which was 33% below normal. The southwest monsoon arrived nine days later than usual, and weak rainfall during the early part of the season delayed sowing activities. Although rainfall improved in early July, it was insufficient to offset the earlier deficit, leaving kharif sowing well behind last year's pace.