2023 southwest monsoon season begins on time in June
Agrolink – Sean Lennon
According to the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) World Agricultural Production (WAP) report, rice production in India for the 2023/24 marketing year is estimated at 137 million metric tons (on a milled basis). This forecast represents an increase of 2% over the previous month, 1% over the previous year, and 6% above the average of the previous five years. The harvested area is estimated at 47.6 million hectares, slightly lower than last year but 3% higher than the five-year average. Productivity is estimated at 4.32 metric tons per hectare, an increase of 3% over the previous month and 1% over the previous year.
The 2023 southwest monsoon season started on time in June, but rainfall was very erratic throughout the kharif crop season across the country. The largest production season, kharif crop sowing is done from May and harvesting is completed in January. According to the third advanced estimate released by the Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Government of India, Telangana was the largest rice producing state in MY 2023/24. In Telangana, there was very little rain at the beginning of the monsoon season, but favourable rains in late July and early August provided adequate moisture at the critical time for the sown crop, promoting plant growth. Additional peaks of rain came again in September and October, providing adequate moisture to plants that had not yet reached maturity and for sown rabi crops.
The kharif crop is followed by a much smaller rabi crop, which includes both irrigated and non-irrigated fields. The rabi crop is sown in December and harvested in May, and is not dependent on the annual southwest monsoon. After the rabi crop, an even smaller summer crop is planted. According to the Government of India, there are three rice seasons: kharif, which accounts for 83% of production, rabi (10%) and the summer crop (7%).
