Farmers in the country have sown chana across 8.94 mln ha, down 9.2% on year. A fall in acreage of the pulse in major producers Karnataka and Maharashtra due to drought in key growing regions of the states led to an overall decline in sowing. The Maharashtra government has declared drought in 151 talukas of the state. Around 100 talukas of 24 districts of Karnataka have also been declared drought affected. Area under chana in Karnataka fell 14.8% on year to 1.17 mln ha, and in Maharashtra, it was down 31.8% at 1.06 mln ha. Weak prices of the pulse last year and insufficient procurement by government agencies may have deterred farmers from sowing chana this year. However, chana acreage in the largest producer Madhya Pradesh was 2.4% higher from a year ago at 3.43 mln ha.