Team Blitz India
MUMBAI: Deficient rainfall this monsoon in the state has led to decline in agricultural output which is likely to result in shortages of kitchen staples such as sugar, fruits, vegetables, onions, and pulses. Prices of these items are likely to go up which will raise the risk of inflation.
Maharashtra is a significant contributor of these agricultural products. Because of sporadic rains, the state’s reservoir levels are 20 per cent lower than they were this time last year. Rabi season onion sowing is expected to decline due to shortage of water. Tur and sugar production are already set to drop, and the sowing of wheat and chana also indicates a decrease in output.
According to India Meteorological Department (IMD), while overall rain in Maharashtra during the monsoon was sufficient, it was deficient in several locations, including Marathwada, Madhya Maharashtra, and North Maharashtra. Rainfall has also been in the large deficit category during the rabi season, which runs from October 1 to November 15.
Lower onion sowing may also have an impact on supply next year. Onion prices are already skyrocketing, with retail inflation in the kitchen staple exceeding 42 per cent in October.
The consumer food price index increased 6.6 per cent month-onmonth compared to the previous year. Some of the farmers, who had sown onion nurseries expecting rain during the Diwali period, are seeking buyers for the saplings.
The area sown with chana is likely to decrease by 10-15 per cent. Wholesale jowar prices have reached an all-time high at Rs 85 per kg. Jowar is the staple food of the farming community in Maharashtra and north Karnataka, with no substitute. However, even urban people now prefer jowar to wheat.
Although Maharashtra’s contribution to total wheat production in the country is negligible, wheat produced in north Maharashtra and Vidarbha meets the needs of these districts for a few months.
As wheat production in the state is projected to fall, it will add to national demand at a time when wholesale prices are expected to remain uncomfortably high at Rs 27-28 per kg for the second year in a row.
