Regular Update
ATM News Network: Unseasonal rains have lashed the entire country throughout March, and the rabbi crop that has been harvested has been severely affected. Harvested and ready-to-harvest crops for the rabbi season have been destroyed, reports Crisil in its March 2023 Market Intelligence & Analytics.
Unseasonal rainfall between the 1st and 21st of March 2023 has been 20% above normal and 3-4 times above the average in the last four days. On March 21, rainfall in central India was 1600% above normal. In other parts of the country, too, unseasonal rainfall is sometimes more.
Central India
Central India, which includes Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Maharashtra, has suffered huge agricultural losses. About 5-10% of the onion crop (currently in the harvesting stage) has been damaged in Nashik, Maharashtra. There is a risk of rotting onions due to moisture, and to avoid it, onion harvesting is likely to be delayed by 8-10 days. The same situation is with tomatoes, pomegranates, grapes, and vegetables. An 8-10% drop in grape production is expected. Wheat has been damaged due to hailstorms in Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat. It can cause a 3-4% yield loss of wheat. However, Junagadh, which mainly produces major mango varieties like saffron, has received light rains, which are not harmful to the crop.
North, Northeast, and East India
While unseasonal rains have been beneficial for vegetables and mangoes in North and Northeast India, wheat and litchi fruit crops have been damaged in Bihar. Litchi orchards in full bloom have been devastated by heavy rains, with significant declines in flowering. As a result, litchi production is likely to decrease by 5-6% per annum. Wheat production will be affected. In West Bengal, the rice crop has declined, while potato has been damaged in Cooch Behar and Jalpaiguri. It is satisfactory that most of the potatoes have been harvested. Hence, the damage is unlikely to be huge, the report states.
North-West India
Wheat is also grown in large quantities in the north-western region comprising Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan. The crop has also been affected due to unseasonal weather, and production is likely to decline by 4-5% compared to previous estimates. The crops are not yet fully ripe, and harvesting is planned for the first week of April. Rain may delay the process. Reports said that 70% of the mustard crop in Rajasthan has been harvested and the remaining crop has been damaged. In Jodhpur and Nagaur in Rajasthan, both horticultural crops of isabgol and cumin have been damaged. As a result cumin production is likely to decrease by 10-15%.
South India
In southern India, unseasonal rice and maize have also been affected in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. As a result, maturity is likely to be affected. About 3-4% yield loss is expected in both crops. Kharif season chillies, which were in the drying stage, are likely to dry up or deteriorate due to moisture. In Chittoor, Andhra Pradesh, mangoes at the fruiting stage have also been damaged. This can lead to 4-5% less income. 5-10% loss of horticultural crops is likely in Karnataka. Tomatoes are afraid of rotting, and onions have sprouted. The grapes are cracked and bruised. The loss of pomegranate, wheat, paddy, cumin, onion, tomato and mango will affect their prices.
Market price and availability
According to a CRISIL report, wheat prices are likely to increase marginally in the Rabi marketing year 2023 compared to last year. Due to the reduction in available stocks and export demand, paddy prices will increase. The losses in Maharashtra and Karnataka are likely to increase the prices of vegetables like onions and tomatoes. Mango prices will remain stable as there are no reports of widespread damage in Gujarat and Bihar. On the other hand, a fall in income may increase cumin prices.
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(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by ATM staff and is published from a web feed.)
