The area under kharif bajra across the country as of Wednesday was at 8,200 ha, up 34.4% on year. The rise in acreage of the coarse grain can be attributed to early onset of southwest monsoon this year. The rise in acreage under bajra is mainly driven by a higher area in Rajasthan, where the acreage was at 50,000 ha, up from 14,000 ha a year ago.