Rainfall in Central India May Impact Kharif Crops
22-Sep-2025 08:53 PM
New Delhi. The southwest monsoon's return journey began on September 14th, but the rainfall movement within the country remains unchanged. Last week, it was passing through Bhatinda,
Fatehabad, Bhiwani, Ajmer, Deesa, and Bhuj (Kutch). However, the Meteorological Department had predicted that it might encounter resistance from an eastern trough, and its traditional alignment could lead to moderate to heavy rainfall in the central and northern peninsular regions of the country, namely Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, and Maharashtra, between September 25th and October 1st.
If this forecast by the Meteorological Department proves correct, late-sown Kharif crops in areas with normal rainfall could benefit. However, the possibility of damage to early-sown crops already at maturity due to waterlogging in fields in areas with extremely heavy rainfall cannot be ruled out.
In Maharashtra, damage to Kharif crops has already been reported across 1.7-1.8 million hectares due to surplus rainfall and flooding. Several areas in Punjab, Rajasthan, and Gujarat also experienced severe flooding. The impact of flooding in Madhya Pradesh was relatively mild.
The Meteorological Department has stated that areas of Rajasthan and Gujarat, where the monsoon has already departed, may also receive rainfall between September 25th and October 1st.
Interestingly, while monsoon rainfall this year was significantly above normal in most parts of Rajasthan, temperatures have now reached 38-40 degrees Celsius, causing the soil to dry out in some areas, and late-sown crops are in need of rain.
According to the Meteorological Department, the impact of monsoon rainfall in the aforementioned states may persist during the last week of this month.
Central and peninsular India are expected to receive above-normal rainfall, while most areas of northwestern and eastern India are expected to receive normal or above-normal rainfall, while the northeastern states are expected to receive below-normal rainfall.