Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Record low rains threaten summer crops in India

The monsoon delivers nearly 70 per cent of the rain

Record low rains threaten summer crops in India

INDIA is heading for its driest August in more than a century, with scant rainfall likely to persist across large areas, partly because of the El Niño weather pattern, two weather department officials said.

August rainfall, expected to be the lowest since records began in 1901, could dent yields of summer-sown crops, from rice to soybeans, boosting prices and overall food inflation, which jumped in July to the highest since January 2020.


The monsoon, vital for the $3-trillion economy, delivers nearly 70 per cent of the rain India needs to water farms and refill reservoirs and aquifers.

"The monsoon is not reviving as we had expected," said a senior official of the India Meteorological Department (IMD), who sought anonymity as the matter is a sensitive one.

"We are going to end the month with a significant deficit in the southern, western, and central parts."

India is on course to receive an average of less than 180 mm (7 inches) of rainfall this month, he added, based on rains so far and expectations for the rest of the month.

The weather authorities are expected to announce August totals of rainfall and the forecast for September on Aug. 31 or Sept. 1.

India received just 90.7 mm (3.6 inches) in the first 17 days of August, nearly 40 per cent lower than the normal. The month's normal average is 254.9 mm (10 inches), he said.

Earlier, the IMD had anticipated a rainfall deficit of up to 8 per cent in August. The lowest August rainfall on record was in 2005, with 191.2 mm (7.5 inches).

Monsoon rainfall is expected to improve over the next two weeks in the northeast and some central regions, but dry conditions in northwestern and southern states are likely to persist, said another IMD official.

"Normally, we experience a dry spell of five to seven days in August," said the official, who also spoke on condition of anonymity.

"However, this year the dry spell has been unusually prolonged in southern India. The El Niño weather pattern has begun to impact the Indian monsoon."

El Nino, a warming of waters that usually stifles rainfall over the Indian subcontinent, has emerged in the tropical Pacific for the first time in seven years.

This monsoon has been uneven, with June rains 10 per cent below average but July rains rebounding to 13 per cent above average.

Summer rains are crucial as nearly half of India's farmland lacks irrigation.

Farmers typically start planting rice, corn, cotton, soybeans, sugarcane and peanuts, among other crops, from June 1, when the monsoon begins to lash the southern state of Kerala.

The lengthy dry spell has led to extremely low soil moisture, which could inhibit growth of crops, said Harish Galipelli, director of trading firm ILA Commodities India Pvt Ltd.

"Crops are in dire need of rainfall," he added. "Any further delay could lead to reduced yields."

(Reuters)

More For You

October declared Hindu Heritage Month in Ohio, US

The Hindu American Foundation (HAF) welcomed the bill’s passage. (Representational image: iStock)

October declared Hindu Heritage Month in Ohio, US

THE OHIO State House and Senate in the US have passed a bill designating October as Hindu Heritage Month.

State senator Niraj Antani, who led the effort, expressed his satisfaction with the bill's passage.

Keep ReadingShow less
Kyle Clifford

During the hearing, Clifford denied all the charges except for the rape charge, which was added to the indictment at the session. (Photo: Hertfordshire Police /Handout via REUTERS)

Man pleads not guilty to murder of BBC presenter's family

A 26-year-old man has pleaded not guilty to charges of murdering the wife and two daughters of BBC sports commentator John Hunt in a crossbow and knife attack.

Kyle Clifford, who also faces charges of rape, appeared via video link at Cambridge Crown Court on Thursday.

Keep ReadingShow less
Peter-Mandelson-Getty

Mandelson, a prominent ally of former prime minister Tony Blair, was instrumental in rebranding the Labour Party in the 1990s. (Photo: Getty Images)

Peter Mandelson to be new US ambassador

VETERAN Labour politician Peter Mandelson has been selected to become the UK's new ambassador to the United States, according to media reports on Thursday. An official announcement is expected on Friday (20).

Mandelson, 71, is set to take up the post in late January, coinciding with US president-elect Donald Trump’s return to the White House, the reports stated. This marks the first time in decades that a political appointee, rather than a seasoned diplomat, will hold the position.

Keep ReadingShow less
Seema Misra

Seema Misra was wrongly imprisoned in 2010 after being accused of stealing £75,000 from her Post Office branch in Surrey, where she was the subpostmistress. (Photo credit: Getty Images)

Post Office was institutionally racist: Seema Misra

A LEADING campaigner in the Post Office Horizon scandal has told Eastern Eye racism played a part in her horrific ordeal, but hoped her determination to fight back will change people’s perception of Asian women.

An inquiry into the wrongful prosecution of more than 900 sub-postmasters due to incorrect information from Fujitsu’s accounting software Horizon concluded on Tuesday (17), as Eastern Eye went to press.

Keep ReadingShow less
Kite-making picks up in Gujarat ahead of harvest festival

Kite-making picks up in Gujarat ahead of harvest festival


HUDDLED over piles of colourful paper, Mohammad Yunus is one among thousands of workers in India's western state of Gujarat who make kites by hand that are used during a major harvest festival.

People in Gujarat celebrate Uttarayan, a Hindu festival in mid-January that celebrates the end of winter by flying kites held by glass-coated or plastic strings.

Keep ReadingShow less