Lack of Monsoon Rains Threatens Indian Crops
Monsoon rains have largely skipped India's most fertile state of Uttar Pradesh, giving the region the driest June in more than eighty years.
Whilst some rains have arrived this past week, Uttar Pradesh has still only received around half of what it would normally expect in July.
This is affecting sugar cane planting in India's top producing state, and yields are also likely to be adversely affected this year, according to the state's director of agriculture. Sugar cane plantings are expected to be 10% lower this year.
Rice planting in the state is also likely to be cut by around 12-15%, he said.
Poor rains now could also have an adverse effect on winter wheat planting and development later on in the year, as the Uttar Pradesh is also India's top wheat producing state, accounting for around a third of national production.
India's main reservoirs are only half full, whereas at this time of year they would normally be overflowing. That could have serious implications for irrigation of winter sown crops like wheat and rapeseed a few months from now.
Whilst some rains have arrived this past week, Uttar Pradesh has still only received around half of what it would normally expect in July.
This is affecting sugar cane planting in India's top producing state, and yields are also likely to be adversely affected this year, according to the state's director of agriculture. Sugar cane plantings are expected to be 10% lower this year.
Rice planting in the state is also likely to be cut by around 12-15%, he said.
Poor rains now could also have an adverse effect on winter wheat planting and development later on in the year, as the Uttar Pradesh is also India's top wheat producing state, accounting for around a third of national production.
India's main reservoirs are only half full, whereas at this time of year they would normally be overflowing. That could have serious implications for irrigation of winter sown crops like wheat and rapeseed a few months from now.