Rice sowing remains high despite below-normal monsoon over last two weeks

India’s rice sowing has remained robust despite below-normal monsoon conditions in recent weeks. As of July 25, rice acreage was 13.4 percent higher than the same period last year, buoyed by healthy reservoir levels, even as rainfall remained deficient across several regions.

Overall kharif sowing dipped marginally to 3.98 percent above last year, down from 4.1 percent the previous week. However, coarse cereals and pulses maintained strong momentum, with sowing up 3.7 percent and 3.5 percent year-on-year, respectively. In contrast, acreage for oilseeds, cotton, and jute continued to lag behind 2024 levels.

Rainfall distribution remained uneven. Eastern and northeastern India continued to experience below-normal precipitation, further widening the regional deficit. “Region-wise data showed that, barring the southern peninsula where deficit rains covered a lot of lost ground, weekly rainfall across other regions slowed—and the deficit in the east and north-eastern part of the country, in fact, worsened,” said Aastha Gudwani, Chief Economist for India at Barclays.

Among eastern states, Bihar continued to report a significant 43 percent rainfall deficit, while Jharkhand received 53 percent above-normal rainfall. In northwestern India, Rajasthan saw one of the strongest surpluses, with 92 percent more rainfall than its long-period average.

At the national level, India received 7 percent more rainfall than last year during the same period. Twenty-nine out of 36 states and Union Territories recorded normal or above-normal rainfall, with only seven states in deficit.

Importantly, reservoir storage levels have remained high, even in regions with rainfall deficits. For example, Bihar’s reservoir storage was 49 percent above normal, while the southern region recorded 68 percent higher-than-normal capacity. In Chhattisgarh, reservoir levels were only 6 percent below average, while Punjab showed a sharper 25 percent shortfall.
With July and August being the peak sowing months, current water storage levels may help sustain the pace of planting, even if monsoon shortfalls persist. As of July 25, rice sowing had already covered over 60 percent of its normal seasonal area. Pulses acreage stood at 72 percent of the norm, while coarse cereals reached a healthy 89 percent.