An excess rainfall after the southwest monsoon season bodes well for rabi cropping as it increases soil moisture and will facilitate healthy germination of crops, said Crisil Ratings in a report. Rabi crops are mostly sown during October and November and the produce is harvested from January to March depending on the maturity of the commodity.
“For the forthcoming rabi season, it is also reassuring that the water reservoir situation is reasonably healthy. The current reservoir storage as a percentage of storage capacity across four of the five regions in the country is not only above last year’s levels, but also above the corresponding 10-year average,” the ratings agency said in the report. Rabi sowing is majorly dependent on groundwater situation as irrigation is not done during sowing for major rabi crops like wheat, gram, and mustard.
“But irrigation for these crops start after 20-30 days after sowing. So, healthy water reservoir levels will drive the acreage and cropping pattern,” the report said. The report citing high water reservoir levels said it would drive area under cultivation for water guzzling crops, such as wheat and barley.
“This is a good development as wheat reserves this year have come down and greater acreage in the upcoming rabi season will help replenish the stocks.” Add to it, there is more than an adequate quantity of fertilizers available in the country to meet the needs for Rabi season and the government is sending fertilizers as per the need of all the states, Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers said recently.
