Ample monsoon rainfall in India has helped replenish water in key reservoirs, improving prospects for winter-sown crops such as wheat and rapeseed that mostly rely on dams and groundwater for irrigation.
Winter crop area is likely to rise this year, Farm Secretary Devesh Chaturvedi said. The country could see a record harvest of food grains, including rice, grown during the rainy season as the weather has been conducive, he said.
A bumper output of wheat, usually sown in October and November just after the harvesting of monsoon-sown crops, could prompt the government to ease export restrictions, while a rise in rapeseed production may reduce imports by the world's biggest buyer of edible oils.
India's June-September rainy period has been good so far this year, with the northwest, a major grain-producing belt, receiving 15% more rain than normal as of Aug. 13. Water levels in the country's 161 main reservoirs are now 14.5% above last year and 33% over the 10-year average, according to the state-run Central Water Commission.
“Good weather is certainly benefiting agriculture, but we are also supporting farmers by ensuring the supply of high-quality seeds to boost yields,” Chaturvedi said in an interview on Wednesday. “Higher rainfall not only lifts productivity but also helps farmers spend less on irrigation.”
India's food grain output is estimated to have reached an all-time high of 354 million tons in 2024-25, including a record rice crop of 149 million tons and wheat output of more than 117 million tons, according to the farm ministry.
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