India: Boost for rabi crops as rain likely this week in northwestern, central plains

An ICAR-Institute of Wheat and Barley Research bulletin said wheat sowing is almost complete and favourable weather, with adequate winter rainfall, is supporting vegetative growth and tillering of wheat. “The rainfall in coming days and recent weeks will help improve soil moisture, provide early-season irrigation needed for wheat in [a] vegetative state, and boost reservoir levels,” said ICAR scientist Pranjit Talukdar.

The ICAR has issued an advisory asking growers with canal-fed farms not to “over irrigate”. The fresh rain was expected to especially help non-irrigated wheat-growing belts over five agro-climatic zones from Madhya Pradesh to Uttar Pradesh.

The winter staple is grown in about 31.8 million hectares of land with total production hovering around 113.29 million tonnes, according to official data. A higher wheat output could help tame elevated food prices. Retail food and beverage inflation cooled slightly to 8.2% in November from a peak of 9.69% in October, according to official data.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said a fresh western disturbance and its interaction with easterly winds were likely to affect the weather in northwest India.

A cyclonic circulation was over northeast Assam at lower tropospheric levels and a cyclonic circulation over the southeast Bay of Bengal and adjoining Equatorial Indian Ocean at lower tropospheric levels. Another cyclonic circulation was over north Tamil Nadu and neighbourhood. These systems were expected to cause widespread rainfall in Peninsular India.

Private forecaster Skymet Weather’s vice president (climate and meteorology) Mahesh Palawat said there has already been rain, hail, and snowfall this winter. He added the fresh Western Disturbance and its interaction with moisture and easterly winds from the Bay of Bengal and winds from the Arabian Sea will mainly cause rain in the plains.

Palawat said an anti-cyclone was expected to form over Odisha and there will be rain in Rajasthan. “Thereafter rain can be expected in Delhi, Haryana, east Rajasthan, north Madhya Pradesh, and parts of Uttar Pradesh.”

Palawat said Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand are expected to record rain and snowfall. He said there is a higher frequency of Western Disturbances and some of them are active. “January rain is beneficial for hilly crops, replenishment of glaciers, and water flow in rivers.”

In December, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, and Rajasthan recorded 88%, 29%, 126%, 328%, 422% and 176% excess rainfall.

Isolated places in Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, sub-Himalayan West Bengal and Sikkim have since Tuesday received heavy to very heavy rainfall, heavy rainfall, and hailstorms. Ground frost conditions were reported in isolated pockets of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand. Dense to very dense fog with visibility under 50 metres was reported in parts of Punjab Jammu and Kashmir, Delhi, and Uttar Pradesh. Dense fog (visibility 50-200 metres) was reported in parts of Himachal Pradesh, Haryana Chandigarh, northwest Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, and isolated pockets of south interior Karnataka.

Minimum temperatures were below 0°C in parts of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh and 1-3°C in isolated places of Himachal Pradesh. The mercury dipped to 5-10°C in parts of northwest and central India and 10-15°C in east and western India. On Wednesday, the lowest minimum temperature in the plains (1.6°C) was recorded at Rajgarh in Madhya Pradesh.

Tags: Production, wheat, India, snow, mustard, rabi, lentils, rain, barley