The total sown area under kharif crops stands at 59.56 lakh hectares (lh), a tad up than 59.47 lh sown during the corresponding period last year, according to data released by the Agriculture Ministry here on Friday.

The area under rice is up 21.3 per cent, from 2.54 lh in 2014-15 to 3.08 lh this year while oilseeds acreage has touched 0.16 lh from 0.04 lh a year ago. After rice, soyabean is the most widely cultivated Kharif crop.

Sugarcane acreage slipped by 5.17 per cent to 40.70 lh . Sowing of cotton is up 14.2 per cent with 8.82 lh under coverage compared to 7.72 lh earlier while area under jute and mesta touched 6.81 lh from 6.25 lh.

The India Meteorological Department has predicted that the four-month long South-West monsoon is likely to hit Kerala on Saturday with a model error of four days. It has predicted the monsoon this year to be at 93 per cent of the long-period average of 89 cm mainly due to developing El Nino conditions.