India's monsoon to start its retreat in next two days

India's monsoon season is set to enter its withdrawal phase in the next two days, as per the Indian Meterorological Department, after a vigorous spell of rains towards the tail end of the four-month season.

Conditions are becoming favourable for withdrawal of the monsoon from parts of the northwest, the state-run weather office said.

The monsoon, vital for India because almost half of its farmland lacks irrigation, usually starts retreating from the desert state of Rajasthan in the west by mid-September. Summer rains first lash India's southern Kerala coast in June.


Erratic monsoon

Erratic June-September rainfall and delayed withdrawal of South-West monsoon rains have added to concerns over paddy crop.

India's rice production during the 2021-22 crop year, ended June, stood at record 130.29 million tonnes (MT) as against 124.37 MT in the previous year. Food ministry has projected a fall of 6-7 MT in rice production during this year's Kharif season, which accounts for 85 per cent of the country's total rice output.

An article published in RBI's latest bulletin said that there is "a resurgence of food price pressures, mainly stemming from cereals even as fuel and core components provided a modest measure of respite."

Uneven spatial distribution of rain in September has set-off an upsurge in prices of key vegetables, in particular, tomatoes, it added.

"On the food front, furthermore, we need to brace for the impact of the predicted delayed withdrawal of the monsoon," the RBI article said.

(With inputs from agencies)