Could July rain offer respite to kharif crops?

PUNE: Amid concerns over a monsoon that has been largely below normal thus far, there is some hope on rainfall improving next month.

The agricultural meteorology division of the India Meteorology Department is hopeful of the monsoon strengthening either in the first or the second week of July, which will still make it possible to sow a large number of kharif crops such as pulses and soyabean.

"Crops like soyabean can be sown until July 10 but not after that," said N Chattopadhyay, deputy director general of meteorology (DDGM, Agrimet).

"So we will wait till then before advising farmers about shift in crops." June rainfall has been in the comfortable zone in Kerala, coast Karnataka, Konkan and Goa, North East India and West Bengal. The problem is in peninsular India and the northern parts of the country.

Chattopadhyay said that normally July monsoon rainfall supplements the sowing done in June if the rainfall that month is normal. However, even when June rain is deficient, if it rains in July, the sowing window still remains open for a large number of crops.