A revival in India's monsoon, the main source of irrigation for the nation's 235 million farmers, improved prospects of summer-sown rice, corn and sugar-cane crops, an agriculture ministry official said.
Rains resumed over most parts of India after a two-week dry spell in early August, helping ease the moisture-stress among planted crops, T. Nanda Kumar, agriculture secretary, told reporters in New Delhi.
The weakest monsoon in at least seven years caused drought in 278 of India's 626 districts this year, damaging crops including sugar cane, rice and oilseeds. Summer crop harvest will decline by a fifth and the country may import food items such as edible oils and lentils to meet any deficit, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee said last month.
Rains in the monsoon season that began on June 1 narrowed to 23 percent below the 50-year average as of Aug. 1 from a high of 54 percent on June 24, according to the nation's weather bureau. Rainfall last month was 27 percent below average, Surinder Kaur, director at the India Meteorological Department, said yesterday.
Indian authorities are raiding hoarders to boost the availability of sugar, edible oils and lentils during the August-to-December festival season and cool prices.
India has set limits on the amount of sugar that traders, traders and institutional users can stockpile as it faces a shortfall in supplies for a second year. Sugar prices in New York reached a 28-year high yesterday on speculation India will boost imports to bridge a shortfall in local supplies.
India's northwestern region, country's grain-bowl and biggest sugar-cane producer, may receive widespread rains from tomorrow, the weather bureau said today. The central and western states, the main cotton, soybean and peanut growing regions, will continue to get heavy rainfall for the next two days.
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