Forecast of heavy rains in October raises concern about India's wheat crops

3/10/2022 11:08

        India is likely to receive above-average rainfall in October, an official with the state-run weather office said on Friday, posing risks for summer-sown crops such as rice and the planting of wheat.
        
        Monthly rainfall is expected at 115% of the long-term average, Mrutyunjay Mohapatra, director general of the India Meteorological Department, told a virtual news conference.
        
        Heavy rains in October could damage ripening crops such as rice, pulses, cotton and soybeans, and may delay wheat planting in parts of India, the world's leading producer of an array of farm goods.
        
        Scant rain in eastern and northern India in the first half of the June-September monsoon season had already hit rice planting, forcing the government to cut output estimates and restrict exports to ensure adequate supplies for the country's 1.4 billion people.
        
        The curbs came on the heels of a ban on overseas sales of wheat after a sudden rise in temperatures in March and April shrivelled the crop.