September rains may not save sugarcane and pulses crops in India

Heavy rains in the first few days of September will not help crops such as soya bean, sugarcane, moong and urad to overcome the damage caused by scanty rains in August, experts said, warning of poor yield, price increases, and food inflation. Inadequate rainfall for more than a month now is adding to uncertainty for crop yields, said Rahul Bajoria, managing director and head of EM Asia (ex-China) economics of Barclays. Apart from soya bean and pulses, the irrigation-intensive sugar cane also could be threatened, particularly owing to deficient rainfall in major producers states, he said.Low rainfall and likely intensification of El Nino phenomenon towards the end of the year poses a risk to the food inflation trajectory, considering already elevated inflation in pulses and cereals, Bajoria said.Tanmay Deepak, analyst at Agriwatch, said the September rainfall could help tur in states such as Maharashtra and Karnataka as it is a long duration crop.The central and southern parts of ...