This was the fourth-lowest rainfall since 2001 and the 13th lowest since 1901, under the impact of El Niño.
Despite the looming threat of El Nio and drought conditions in several states, the Indian government has set an ambitious foodgrain production target of 373.93 million tonnes (mt) for the 2026-27 crop year, slightly lower than the previous year's actual output but higher than its target.
India's Agriculture Secretary Atish Chandra has warned that the upcoming rabi (winter) crop season is likely to be challenging for rainfed areas due to the strengthening El Nio weather pattern, potentially affecting foodgrain production. This comes as Maharashtra declares drought in nearly 74 per cent of its talukas, highlighting the immediate impact of climate change.
The three-month long outreach will be closely monitored by senior government officials.
Rainfall during the monsoon season so far, from June 1 to September 13, has been 15 per cent below normal.
The Brics proposal for a Grain Exchange, aimed at challenging the dominance of Western trading firms, faces significant operational and implementation hurdles, including settlement currency, regulatory frameworks, and limited participation from key members like India, according to experts.
The Centre has spent 28 per cent of its FY27 capital expenditure budget of Rs 12.21 trillion in the first three months against around 24.5 per cent during the corresponding period a year ago.
India has exhausted 58.04 per cent of its FY27 fertiliser subsidy budget in under five months, primarily due to a significant surge in global urea prices following the conflict in West Asia, necessitating potential additional government expenditure.
India's fertiliser ministry has introduced a new analytical tool and a national-to-retail dashboard to monitor fertiliser dispatches, movement, and inventories in real time, aiming to prevent localised shortages and ensure equitable access for farmers.
Indian refiners are diverting 350,000 tonnes of sugar, originally slated for export, to the domestic market to ease a supply crunch and stabilise prices ahead of the festive season.
The Centre has launched dedicated Kanda Express onion trains from Nashik to major cities, releasing buffer stocks at 35/kg to curb a sharp seasonal rise in onion prices.
Prices had started to ease following the government's decision to allow duty-free imports of 1 mt of raw sugar and would weaken further over the next 7 to 10 days.
India is set to import 1 million tonnes of raw sugar at zero duty after domestic stocks fell sharply and prices surged ahead of the festival season.
The move comes days after the Delhi police said false information linked to the recent students' protest was being circulated through fake social media posts.
The Indian government has allocated an additional 2 million tonnes of surplus broken rice from FCI stocks for its ethanol blending programme, while simultaneously issuing a detailed rebuttal to widespread misinformation regarding the E20 fuel, addressing concerns from water consumption to engine damage and environmental impact.
After a subdued start, the southwest monsoon has gathered pace since the beginning of July, narrowing the cumulative rainfall deficit from nearly 30 per cent on June 30 to around 15 per cent as of July 8.
As MGNREGA comes to a close, both critics and supporters keenly eye VB G RAM G's performance.
15 ships carrying essential raw materials successfully navigated the Strait of Hormuz, easing concerns over agricultural input availability.
Water levels were even lower than the 10-year average in 27 reservoirs in eastern India and around 47 in southern India.
The IMD is predicting close to a 60% probability of deficient rainfall, which means there is a strong possibility that the monsoon this year will be poor.
