India’s monsoon season, which delivers about 70% of the country’s annual rains, is expected to weaken over the next fortnight. This is likely to impact the country’s agricultural sector, with newly planted crops such as cotton, soybeans, and corn being vulnerable to damage from a prolonged dry spell.
Impact on Agriculture
The monsoon season is crucial for India’s agricultural sector, with nearly half of the country’s farmland lacking irrigation. The rainfall deficit is expected to widen by the end of the month, with a strengthening El Nino likely to reduce rainfall in the coming weeks.
Farmers had planted summer-sown crops on 96.8 million hectares as of August 7, nearly 2% lower than the previous year. The roots of newly planted crops have yet to penetrate deep into the soil, leaving them vulnerable to damage from a prolonged dry spell.
Original reporting: Appleton, WI News Feed (HLL/CB) — read the source article.
