Extended monsoon unlikely to hurt harvest

The delayed withdrawal of monsoon is unlikely to hit the ongoing harvest of kharif crops, the head of agricultural meteorology at the weather office has said.

"Immediately, there is no concern," Kripan Ghosh, head of Agrimet Services at the India Meteorological Department, told ET.

He said the weather office is prompt in guiding farmers about weather changes. "If the systems are approaching, we are immediately giving a warning that even if your crop is 80-85% matured, you must harvest it," he said.


In August, flooding had damaged some standing crop of urad and soyabean in central and western parts of the country

Delayed monsoon withdrawal poses a risk for farmers as rainfall at harvest time can damage crops.

Due to the rain-boosting La Nina phenomenon, the monsoon's retreat has been delayed, as two low-pressure systems have formed after the monsoon season officially ended on September 30. This will bring heavy rainfall to West Bengal, Odisha, Telangana, and Andhra Pradesh, IMD said. Widespread rain is also expected over interior Maharashtra in the coming days.

On the back of a 9% excess monsoon rains, crop planting was up by 4.5% year-on-year. A record harvest is expected, which will make the agriculture the best-performing sector in a pandemic-battered economy.

Monsoon rain this year was above normal for three of the four months, with only July ending with a 10% deficit.