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From being 5% higher than the long period average (LPA), rainfall has gone down to 6% below LPA in the last two weeks of August in India. While soil moisture and reservoir levels have risen during July and sowing is almost over, agricultural experts are concerned about the yield of some crops such as pulses and spices in case a prolonged dry spell adds to inflationary pressures.
As the soil moisture has risen in July, lesser August rainfall won't negatively impact the crops, said agricultural experts.
The damage to the moong, urad, groundnut and soybean crops could range 10-15%, leading to concerns about a significant increase in prices of these commodities, they said. But the rains could help the paddy crop in Punjab and Haryana. "The excessive rainfall has caused damage to kharif crops such as cotton, pulses and oilseeds in the northern states," said Rahul Chauhan of commodity research firm iGrain India.