New Delhi, Aug 10 - India's rice production, hit by erratic monsoon, is facing another crisis with official data revealing that acreage of paddy is lower than last year.

'Acreage of paddy and oilseeds is lower,' an agriculture ministry statement here said.

According to the data, as on Aug 6, the area under paddy cultivation was 228.19 lakh hectares, down from 285.94 lakh hectares in 2008.

However, the area in which coarse grains and pulses have been sown has increased over last year.

Addressing the conference of chief secretaries Saturday, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had said agriculture had been adversely affected in several parts of the country due to the delayed and deficient monsoon this year and paddy was the worst affected crop.