India reduced the backlog in the sowing campaign for summer crops to 5%.

Renewed monsoon rains have allowed India to dramatically accelerate the sowing of summer (spring) crops, virtually eliminating the acreage deficit caused by the abnormally delayed rainfall at the start of the season, Reuters reports.

This is critical for global markets: India accounts for approximately 40% of global rice exports and is the world’s largest importer of vegetable oils (palm, soybean, and sunflower). Any fluctuations in Indian harvest volumes directly impact global prices and trade balances.

Traditionally, farmers begin sowing in June-July, immediately after the arrival of the monsoon in Kerala. This season, rainfall was three days late, and its progress in key western agricultural regions was stalled for almost two weeks. By the end of June, the acreage gap was approximately 25% compared to last year. By July 24, the gap had narrowed to less than 5%: 78.7 million hectares had been sown, compared to 82.6 million hectares in the same period last year.

Thanks to the abundant rains of recent weeks, the country’s overall monsoon rainfall deficit has narrowed from nearly 40% (at the end of June) to 16%. However, in some individual regions, the moisture deficit still reaches 40%, creating localized risks.

“We had to wait for rain before planting seedlings. Only after good rains this month were we able to begin transplanting rice,” says Krishna Beuraa, a farmer in the eastern state of Odisha.

Successful completion of the sowing campaign in the coming weeks will allow India to stabilize domestic food reserves and meet its export commitments, particularly for rice. However, the decline in soybean and cotton acreage may require the country to adjust its import volumes of vegetable oils and raw materials in the upcoming season.

Tags: India