Higher precipitation would benefit the two main kharif crops, rice and soya bean, which have seen more area seeded, thanks to a better monsoon in September for important agricultural regions.
Moisture stress resulted from a severely deficient August, generating worries about a decrease in output.
According to government statistics, the area planted with paddy climbed 2.7% on-year to 40.3 million hectares as of September 8 while the area planted with soya beans increased 1.3% to 12.54 million hectares.
Punjab and Haryana, two northern states that produce rice, have used irrigation to meet their water needs. However, the eastern states, which produce the majority of the rice, had decent rains in September, easing concerns about the transplantation of rice.
Experts believe that a decline in food inflation may offer the central bank more leeway to loosen monetary policy in order to support economic growth.
Higher paddy seeding has been observed in Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, West Bengal, and Uttar Pradesh.
The growth of soyabean pods, from which oil is taken, has also benefited from September’s rains, according to DN Pathak, executive director of the Soybean Processors Association. “We were concerned about the soyabean crop’s moisture stress. But that (fear) is no longer an issue,” he said.
In the first few days of September, rain fell in the country’s central and southern regions, causing the overall rainfall deficit to drop from 36% in August — the driest month in 122 years — to 6% in the first half of the month.
While the south of India experienced 47% higher rainfall than the long period average (LPA) this month, central India had a 47% deficit in rainfall in August. However, in the first 15 days of September, the north-west and east/north-east are still 30% and 44% deficient, respectively.
According to the Indian Meteorological Department, the southwest monsoon is anticipated to bring heavy rain to the central and eastern regions through September 21.