Late southwest monsoon surge limits kharif season production shortfall

The country’s foodgrain production in the 2019 kharif season is expected to be less by only 0.8 per cent, despite a delayed progress of the southwest monsoon. The reduced shortfall is largely because of good rainfall after-June, the government's first advanced estimate of 2019-20 foodgrains and commercial crop production has revealed. 

However, the estimates could change in the coming months, as full impact of excess rainfall and floods on the standing soybean and urad crops in central and western India in late August and September has not yet been fully taken into account. 

According to the estimates released on Monday, among cereals