Weak monsoon threatens India's key crops, raises risk of food price rise | Economy & Policy News - Business
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Economy / News / Weak monsoon threatens India's key crops, raises risk of food price riseWeak monsoon threatens
India's key crops, raises risk of food price riseIndia faces below-normal rainfall in September after a 14% deficit
through August, raising concerns over soil moisture and crops including rice, sugar cane and soybeansWeak rainfall may
cut India’s rice production by about 4.5 per cent this year and corn output by 9.3 per cent | Image:
BloombergBloomberg3 min read Last Updated : Sep 01 2026 | 11:22 AM ISTListen to This ArticleBy Pratik Parija and Preeti
Soni India’s weaker-than-normal monsoon is threatening key crops, heightening the risk that food prices will rise in
the world’s most populous nation. The June-September rainy season is forecast to deliver below-normal precipitation
through its final month, worsening the outlook for harvest after a 14 per cent rainfall deficit in the first three
months. The shortfall is affecting soil moisture and may deepen the stress on staples including rice, sugar cane and
soybeans. Monsoon precipitation is expected to be less than 91 per cent of the long-term average of 167.9 millimeters
(6.6102 inches) in September this year, said Mrutyunjay Mohapatra, director general of the India Meteorological
Department. Most of the country is expected to get deficit rainfall, except some parts in east, northeast and central
India, he said at a briefing in New Delhi on Monday. “Monthly rainfall over the country as a whole during September
is most likely to be below normal,” Mohapatra said. Also Read India sees warmest August since 1901 as monsoon
rainfall deficit hits 13.8%Agriculture, allied sectors clock 3.6% GVA growth in Q1FY27: MoSPI dataNCDEX launches
RAINCHNNAI weather derivatives for North-East monsoonIMD predicts below-normal September rains; 47% of country rain
deficientDelhi remains cloudy; red alert in Chhattisgarh and Odisha for heavy rain The uneven distribution of rainfall
is emerging as a bigger concern in the country. Deficits persist in key rice-growing areas in the east and north, while
sugar-cane belts in the west and south and soybeans regions are also facing moisture stress. Continued dryness in
September could hurt yields and tighten supplies of key food commodities. Planting of rice and corn was trailing last
year’s pace as of Aug. 28, according to farm ministry data released Monday. Oilseed and sugar-cane sowing was also
slightly lower. Planting typically begins in late May and peaks in July. Weak rainfall may cut India’s rice
production by about 4.5 per cent this year and corn output by 9.3 per cent, according to the USDA’s Foreign
Agricultural Service. Food prices are already showing signs of accelerating, with costs rising 5.5 per cent in July
versus a year earlier. That’s the highest level this year and outstrips the growth across broader consumer prices. In
a sign of growing strain, the government has allowed duty-free sugar imports for the first time in almost a decade to
ease a domestic shortage. Adequate soil moisture in September is crucial for developing crops, as well as for winter
planting. The prolonged shortfall could therefore hurt both the current harvest and the next crop cycle, adding to the
pressure on food prices. India saw its driest June in 12 years at the start of the monsoon period. Precipitation picked
up in July before weakening again in August as a strengthening El Niño brought drier conditions across parts of South
and Southeast Asia. August rainfall was 16.3 per cent below normal.More From This SectionManufacturing PMI slips to 52.8
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