A good rainfall in July is very crucial for agriculture as sowing for the kharif crop is at its peak during this period. Over 235 million farmers across the country have been praying for a normal monsoon season this year against the backdrop of a severe drought last year.
Sowing for kharif crops has been picking up momentum across the country and as per agriculture ministry reports, paddy has been sown in 24.12 lakh hectares while oilseeds have been sown in 11.46 lakh hectares till June 25.
The country’s rice output declined to 89.31 million tonnes last year from the previous year’s record 99.18 million tonnes due to the drought. IMD’s chief monsoon forecaster D. Sivananda Pai termed the delay as “initial glitches” but refused to raise a warning signal.
“There is nothing to worry this year. July and August will see good rains across the country,” Mr Pai, who is also director of the National Climate Centre, has claimed. The south-west monsoon, that powers the trillion-dollar economy of the country, had entered a weak phase on June 18.