Monsoon Withdrawal Begins from Rajasthan as 327 Districts Record Deficient Rainfall; Paddy Area Down 3.7%

The withdrawal of the southwest monsoon began on Saturday, September 19, with the India Meteorological Department (IMD) reporting that the monsoon had withdrawn from some parts of western Rajasthan. Over the next three to four days, the monsoon is expected to withdraw from some more areas of Rajasthan as well as parts of Punjab, Saurashtra and Kutch.

Normally, the southwest monsoon begins withdrawing from Rajasthan around September 17. This year, however, the withdrawal has been delayed by two days. Despite this, at least 17 districts in Rajasthan have recorded more than 20% deficient rainfall during the monsoon season.

327 districts facing deficient rainfall

Of India’s 792 districts, 327 are facing deficient rainfall. Seven districts have recorded a rainfall deficit of more than 60%. However, the larger concern is the 320 districts that have received 20% to 59% less rainfall than normal. The states with the highest number of districts facing deficient rainfall include Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Bihar. Districts in eastern Uttar Pradesh bordering Bihar are also facing rainfall deficiency. Meanwhile, rainfall has been normal in 389 districts and above normal in 86 districts.

Seven districts in the country have recorded very large rainfall deficiencies, ranging from 60% to nearly 79%. These include two districts in Arunachal Pradesh; Dwarka and Jamnagar in Gujarat; Jalore and Sanchore in Rajasthan; and Karur in Tamil Nadu.

Among districts that have recorded 20% to 59% deficient rainfall, Andhra Pradesh has 27, Karnataka 31, Kerala three, Maharashtra 20, Tamil Nadu 33, Telangana 20, Haryana nine, Punjab 19, Rajasthan 15, Gujarat 23, Madhya Pradesh six, Uttar Pradesh 18, Bihar 32, Chhattisgarh two, Jharkhand six, Arunachal Pradesh 14, Assam 12 and West Bengal four.

Paddy acerage down by 3.73 percent

The rainfall deficiency has had a direct impact on kharif crops. Although the total kharif acreage this year is 1.35% lower at 1,103.90 lakh hectares compared with 1,118.95 lakh hectares last year, the decline in paddy acreage is more significant. According to the September 18 update available on the Agriculture Ministry’s UPAg portal, paddy has been planted on 429.28 lakh hectares this year, down 3.73% from 445.92 lakh hectares last year.

Among pulses, tur or pigeon pea acreage is 1.95% higher than last year, while urad acreage has increased by 11.97%. However, moong acreage has declined by 3.94%. Among coarse cereals, maize acreage, the largest crop in the category, has declined by 2.23%, while bajra acreage has increased by 3.29%. Jowar acreage has also increased, whereas ragi acreage has declined.

Among oilseeds, soybean, the major kharif oilseed crop, has recorded a 0.72% decline in acreage compared with last year. Groundnut acreage has also declined by 0.26%. However, an increase in the acreage of other oilseed crops has kept the total oilseed area almost unchanged from last year’s 194.75 lakh hectares.

Sugarcane acreage has also declined marginally this year to 58.47 lakh hectares from 58.87 lakh hectares last year. The decline is significant in the context of lower-than-expected sugar production projected for the 2025-26 sugar season.

Jute and mesta acreage has increased by 1.75% from last year, while cotton acreage has declined by 0.90% to 110.60 lakh hectares.