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KHARIF CROP PRODUCTION NOT HARMED BY ERRATIC START TO MONSOON
Background on Indian Monsoon | Kharif Peanut Production | Kharif Cotton Production | June 15 Report |
The southwest monsoon officially arrived at the southern tip of India on June 1st. The monsoon's progress was generally satisfactory in all regions except central and western India. During the past month rainfall in all regions has significantly increased, easing drought conditions in Gujarat and Rajasthan, and increasing flows into irrigation reserves.
During the first three weeks of June the southwest monsoon failed to bring rains to major cotton, groundnut, and soybean regions of Gujarat and western Madhya Pradesh. Since that time significant falls have occurred through the region allowing sowing operations to resume. The minor delays of two to three weeks this season in western India is not expected to negatively impact final production, as all areas are now experiencing nearly full soil moisture profiles and good crop development for the early planted crops. The Kharif planting window is sufficiently wide to accommodate a delay of up to four week delays in some areas, as long as follow-on conditions are good. Given the last three weeks of beneficial temperatures (near normal) and rainfall this Kharif season should produce average to above average yield crops (millet, cotton, rice, peanut, corn, and sorghum).
The India Meteorological Organization reports for the week ending July 5, 18 of the 35 weather subdivisions received normal or above normal rainfall.. If the monsoon covers the remaining Indian states with sufficient precipitation, as appears likely, it will be the thirteenth normal monsoon in succession.
India Cotton and Monsoon Progress | top of page
India Peanut and Monsoon Progress | top of page
India
Monsoon Information | top of page
Monsoon Background: The southwest monsoon
typically enters the mainland over Kerala in the first week of
June. It moves northward to cover the whole of India by mid-July.
It starts withdrawing from mid-September. The southwest monsoon
is critical to the development of Indian agricultural production.
The southwest monsoon provides 80 percent of India's total
precipitation and is critical to the development of its major
food and commercial crops such as rice, coarse grains, pulses,
peanuts, soybeans and cotton. Planting of the largely rainfed
kharif (monsoon season) crops, which include rice, sorghum, corn,
millet, peanut, soybean and cotton will begin after the monsoon
firmly establishes itself over the major producing states and
planting will continue through July and early August. Farmers in
the northern rice surplus states of Punjab and Haryana, where
irrigation is available, often complete rice transplanting prior
to the monsoon arrival.. This season's pre-monsoon, or early
season rains in central, in south and east India should provide a
favorable early season planting conditions for rice, soybeans,
sorghum and corn. The country's economy is to a large extent
dependent on monsoon rains.
For more information, contact Jim Crutchfield with the Production Estimates and Crop Assessment Division on (202) 690-0135 or by e-mail at crutchfieldj@fas.usda.gov.
