MUMBAI: India’s weak and uneven monsoon has slowed crop sowing in several farming states, renewing fears that food prices could rise if rainfall does not recover quickly.
Below-average rain during the kharif sowing season has affected planting of key crops, including rice, pulses, cotton and oilseeds. Reports said sowing of some crops is down by as much as 39 percent compared with last year.
The pressure is especially visible in dry states such as Karnataka, where farmers depend heavily on timely monsoon rain to prepare fields and plant crops. Maharashtra, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and parts of southern India have also faced rainfall concerns.
Reuters reported earlier this month that farmers had sown 21 percent less land than last year as erratic rains disrupted planting. The report said a weaker monsoon over western and southern India could slow sowing of cotton, soybeans and corn.
The India Meteorological Department has forecast below-normal rainfall for July, with nationwide rain expected to remain under 94 percent of the long-period average.
Economists warn that any prolonged rainfall shortage could hit crop yields and revive food inflation pressure in the coming months.
The concern comes as India’s retail inflation has already moved above the Reserve Bank of India’s target, with food and fuel prices adding pressure.
Officials say the sowing window remains open, but farmers need steady rain soon.
