Patchy rains impact sowing of kharif crops and reservoir levels

The southwest monsoon is set to enter the last of its four-month journey over India in the next few days. The rains, which started on a brisk note in June, lost some of its steam midway.
 
After a prolonged break in late June, the monsoon has once again entered a weak phase in August.
 
Erratic rains have impacted sowing of kharif crops and unless the monsoon revives quickly, it could have an impact on the final yields, particularly of the crops that were sown late.
 
Till Friday, data shows that kharif crops have been sown in 106.40 million hectares of land, which is 1.75 per cent less than the area covered during the corresponding period last year.