September rains may not save sugarcane, pulses crops

Heavy rains in the first few days of September will not help crops such as soya bean, sugarcane, moong and urad to overcome the damage caused by scanty rains in August, experts said, warning of poor yield, price increases, and food inflation.

"Inadequate rainfall for more than a month now is adding to uncertainty for crop yields," said Rahul Bajoria, managing director and head of EM Asia (ex-China) economics of Barclays. "Apart from soya bean and pulses, the irrigation-intensive sugar cane also could be threatened, particularly owing to deficient rainfall in major producers states," he said.

Low rainfall and likely intensification of El Nino phenomenon towards the end of the year poses a risk to the food inflation trajectory, considering already elevated inflation in pulses and cereals, Bajoria said.


Tanmay Deepak, analyst at Agriwatch, said the September rainfall could help tur in states such as Maharashtra and Karnataka as it is a long duration crop.

The central and southern parts of the country have seen active rainfall activities in the last few days, bringing down the overall monsoon rainfall deficiency to 7% in the first 10 days of September from 36% in the month of August, which was the driest in 122 years.

Kharif sowing is complete now, with overall area sown almost 99% of 'normal' as of September 8, according to data released by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare.

Area under pulses cultivation has shrunk by 8.58% at 119.91 lakh hectares till last week of the ongoing kharif season due to rainfall deficiency.

Pulses acreage was down maximum in Madhya Pradesh, followed by Karnataka, and Maharashtra.