MC Daily Monsoon Tracker: Reservoir levels stay above normal

In the North, reservoir levels were nearly a third below normal capacity, whereas in the Eastern region, three out of seven states had deficient reservoir capacity.

In Punjab, storage was  69 percent below normal levels. The state has one of the highest rainfall deficits of 35 percent.

Bihar, which faces a 24 percent rainfall deficit, had a 32 percent lower capacity in its reservoirs.

Over half of India’s states received normal or above rainfall as of August 16. The country’s rainfall surplus declined to 4.6 percent, according to data released by India Meteorological Department.

Kharif sowing was just 1.4 percent higher at 98 million hectares, despite rainfall remaining in surplus for over three weeks.

Paddy sowing was up 4.3 percent at 33.2 million hectares, whereas pulses sowing was 6.7 percent higher. On the other hand, jute and cotton sowing was down around 9 percent as of August 12.

“On the sowing front, kharif progress is satisfactory for all crops except cotton and jute which is lower. In case of sugarcane, it is on par with last year. As there are still over 2 weeks to go, there is scope for catch-up,” said Sonal Badhan, economist, Bank of Baroda.

The government is hoping for a revival of its agricultural sector, which recorded 1.4 percent growth in FY24 compared to 4.7 percent in the previous year, also lower than the 3.7 percent long-term average.