Cloudy with a chance of higher lentil prices: India's dry start tips opportunity

India's rice plantings are 25pc lower and soybeans 65pc down due to a dry season. Understand the risks for Australian growers and market outlook.

While attention has been focused on Northern Hemisphere harvests and global trade tensions, another important market driver is unfolding across India. The annual southwest monsoon has made a sluggish start, raising questions over summer crop production and future import demand. For Australian growers, particularly those producing pulses, the next few weeks matter. The monsoon delivers about 70 per cent of India's annual rainfall and underpins much of the country's agricultural production. Nearly half of India's farmland relies on rainfall rather than irrigation, making the timing and intensity of the season critical. This year, rainfall has been about 42pc below normal since early June, with some regions recording deficits of more than 90pc. Summer crop planting is also running almost 23pc behind last year. The largest delays have been seen across rice, soybeans, corn and cotton. Rice plantings are about 25pc lower than this time last year, soybean area is down 65pc, and corn is ...