Erratic Monsoon Rains Threaten Key Indian Grain, Food Crops
2 August 2017 India’s monsoon has delivered 1% more rain than normal so far this year, but erratic distribution has flooded some areas and left others in drought, clouding the outlook for key summer-sown crops more than midway through the season, writes Rajendra Jadhav on Reuters.com.
The uneven rains could lead to lower food grain output despite bigger planting areas, forcing India to raise imports of edible oils, sugar and pulses, and potentially limiting exports of cotton, rice and feed ingredients, traders said.
“Where it is not necessary, rainfall is abundant. Here, we badly need rains, but we haven’t got them in a fortnight,” said Netaji Surywanshi, a soybean farmer from Maharashtra whose crop on 9 acres has started wilting during a critical growth phase.
Read the full story on Reuters.com.
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