As of April 3, 2023, India's summer crop sowing has seen a modest increase to 5.82 million hectares, up from 5.78 million hectares last year, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare. This increase is primarily attributed to a rise in pulses, coarse cereals, and oilseeds, which helped offset a notable decline in rice acreage. The area for pulses surged to 879,000 hectares, driven by green and black gram, while coarse cereals saw an increase of 87,000 hectares to 1.16 million hectares. Despite the overall increase, rice sowing has lagged, reflecting a shift towards less water-intensive crops. Experts expect sowing to accelerate in the coming days, with no concerns about falling below last year's levels. Additionally, food grain stocks in the central pool are robust, totaling 60.1 million tonnes as of February 28, 2023, which allows the government to stabilize prices and manage market interventions effectively.