Indian farmers have sown cotton across 12.15 mln ha as of Thursday, up nearly 19% from a year ago. Acreage was higher than the normal of 11.42 mln ha for the period, based on the average of last five years. The rise in acreage this year can be attributed to a shift in area from soybean, following higher returns from cotton. Near-normal rains during the major part of the sowing season have also helped cotton farmers.