Will the September uptick in rural economy sustain in future?

The uptick in monsoon rains in September after a dry August and improvement in kharif acreage seem to be the immediate plausible reasons for the improvement

Almost all unofficial indicators so far hint at recovery in the rural economy in September.

The uptick in rain in September after a dry August and improvement in kharif acreage seem to be the imm­ed­iate plausible reasons for this. The bigger question is whether this improvement in rural consumer demand is sustainable.

First, the monsoon.

The southwest monsoon had an uneven run in 2023. The rain in June was in deficit by 9 per cent, followed by a surplus of 13 per cent in July and then a record 36 per cent shortfall in August. But in September, it recovered sharply and was