Monsoon revival aids recovery of crops

Higher-than-average rainfall during the past three weeks would help boost yields of summer-planted crops, which were hit by weak rains at the beginning of the monsoon season

RICE

• Key rice-growing states in the East and South received good rains in the past two weeks, and the revival in rains would help the crop 
   
• Rice acreage is 4.2 per cent lower than the previous year. Traders expect a drop of up to eight per cent in production, compared with 91.53 mt in the previous year

CANE

• Maharashtra and Karnataka received more than average rainfall in the past two weeks, helping the maturing cane crop 
   
• Overall cane acreage in the country is 4.5 per cent higher than last year, but analysts expect production to drop to 24 mt in the 2012-13 season

SOYBEAN 

• Soybean production in 2012/13 is likely to rise to 11.8 mt from 11 mt in the current year, JP Morgan has said 
• Edible oil imports in the 2012/13 season beginning November would rise due to a drop in groundnut and cotton seed supplies

COTTON

• Unattractive prices and poor rainfall at the start of the monsoon season cut cotton acreage by 4.7 per cent compared to the previous year 
   
• Traders estimate cotton production at about 34 million bales, each of 170 kg, for the 2012-13 season starting October 1

CORN

• Output of summer-sown corn is likely to fall more than 10 per cent in the 2012-13 season, compared with the previous year's 16.22 mt 
   
• Corn exports in 2012/13 may fall to 1.9 mt from 3.8 mt in the current year, owing to lower production and robust local demand

PULSES

• Recent rains are likely to help pigeon peas and black matpe, but heavy rains hit green gram. Overall production is set to fall for the second straight year 
   
• Pulses acreage is down six per cent, but dry weather in June and July may see output fall about 15 per cent from the previous year's 6.16 mt

TEA, COFFEE & RUBBER

• Tea output may drop to 973 million kg from the previous year's 988.3 million kg, as dry weather hit the crop during the first half of the year 
   
• Coffee output in the 2012/13 season is likely to be slightly lower than state-run Coffee Board's forecast of 325,300 tonnes 
   
• The state-run Rubber Board has forecast an output of 942,000 tonnes for the year ending March, which is likely to be met

Source: Reuters