MUMBAI— Summer-sown crop planting in India has
been lagging as the country received below-normal rainfall, the government
said, raising concerns about food grain production in Asia's third biggest
economy.
اضافة اعلان
India is the world's biggest exporter of rice and top importer
of edible oils. A drop in production could not only limit rice and cotton
exports, but also boost imports of edible oils such as palm oil, sunflower oil
and soyoil.
Indian farmers had planted 104.4 million hectares with
summer crops as of August 20, down 1.6 percent from a year earlier, the
Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers' Welfare said in a statement.
Farmers typically start planting summer-sown crops on June
1, when monsoon rains usually reach India. Planting then continues until early
August.
"Area is down marginally but (the) real concern is crop
yields since rainfall distribution was erratic.
Some areas are witnessing a
prolonged dry spell while (a) few pockets were flooded," said Nitin
Kalantri, a trader based in Latur in the western state of Maharashtra.
India has received 9 percent below-average monsoon rains
since June 1, although in some regions the deficit is as high as 58 percent.
The area planted with cotton was at 11.7 million until last
week, down 8.3 percent from a year ago, the ministry said, as top-growing
Gujarat state received 47 percent lower rainfall than normal.
Planting of rice, the key summer crop, stood at 37.4 million
hectares, marginally down from last year's 37.8 million in the previous year,
the ministry said.
The state-run India Meteorological Department has forecast
the country will receive normal monsoon rains in 2021, but private weather
forecasting agency Skymet on Monday said the country could receive below-normal
rainfall during the season.
New Delhi defines average, or normal, rainfall as between 96
percent and 104 percent of a 50-year average of 88cm for the entire four-month
season.
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