India On Course For Lowest Monsoon Rains In 8 Years: Report

The summer rainfall deficit could make essentials such as sugar, pulses, rice and vegetables more expensive and lift overall food inflation, which jumped in July to the highest since January 2020.

India is poised for its lowest monsoon rains in eight years, with the El Nino weather pattern seen crimping September precipitation after an August that is on track to be the driest in over a century, two weather department officials told Reuters on Monday.

The summer rainfall deficit could make essentials such as sugar, pulses, rice and vegetables more expensive and lift overall food inflation, which jumped in July to the highest since January 2020.

The monsoon, vital for India's $3 trillion economy, delivers nearly 70% of the rain the country needs to water crops and refill reservoirs and aquifers. Nearly half of the farmland in the world's most populous nation lacks irrigation.