Prolonged monsoon may spoil crops; scanty rain hurts paddy in UP
Hindustan TimesA surplus monsoon has helped to expand the area planted with key kharif or summer-sown crops but flooding in several states and scanty showers in others pose risks to farm output, analysts said. Last week, Karnataka revenue minister Krishna Byre Gowda said 58 people died due to widespread flooding in the state, which had damaged crops in 80,000 hectares. Heavy falls will also occur over Marathawada, Konkan and Goa, north interior Karnataka, western Madhya Pradesh and Saurashtra and Kutch regions of Gujarat during next two days, the weather bureau said. “Delayed withdrawal of the monsoon and heavy rainfall in September could damage crops like rice, cotton, soybean, corn, and pulses by increasing moisture content in farm produce,” said TK Mani, a retired faculty of the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University.