Importance of monsoon for kharif crops
India gets around 70 percent of its annual rainfall during the monsoon season, which also affects the yield of some kharif or summer crops like rice, pulses and oil seeds such as soybeans.
Farmers start planting these crops with the arrival of monsoon rains in June.
Around 50% of India’s total food output comes in the form of kharif crops.
A delayed monsoon can lead to supply issues and even accelerate food inflation.
In a good monsoon season, farm output goes up, boosting demand for consumer goods as well as income of rural people.
The monsoon rains in India also replenish reservoirs and ground water that helps in improving irrigation and also boosts hydropower production.
Recent concerns associated with the sowing season
Despite a wetter July so far lifting the overall rainfall above the long period average, the southern peninsula, Deccan Plateau and the eastern region continue to experience a below-normal monsoon and kharif sowing remains lower than last year for crops like rice and pulses, risking faster food price inflation.
By July 15, the overall sown area of kharif crops was 2% lower compared with the same time in 2022, with maize (-5.6%), rice (-6.1%) and pulses (-13.3%) being some of the major crops facing shortfalls in sowing this year.
The widest fall was recorded in Arhar, with the area sown more than 38% lower than last year.
Reservoir levels in the western and southern regions were also at lower marks than last year.
Even as there had been uneven distribution of rainfall, with parts of West and North India seeing excessive rainfall, while it was deficient in States like Bihar and Jharkhand.
With the Indian Meteorological Department signalling that parts of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Assam, Punjab, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu may see less than normal rainfall this month, sowing of paddy and pulses could be further affected.
These effects were already exacerbating food inflation.
Deficient rainfall, and consequently lower rice and pulses sowing, has pushed prices higher.
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