Monsoon set to revive in northwest India, boosting kharif sowing prospects
Fresh showers are expected to replenish soil moisture, support sowing and crop establishment, particularly for water-intensive crops such as paddy, sugarcane and maize
New Delhi: After nearly a week of subdued monsoon activity, rainfall is set to revive across the northwest plains from 20 July, bringing relief to farmers and improving prospects for kharif sowing.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast fairly widespread to widespread rainfall over Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh and Delhi during 20-22 July.
Rainfall is also expected to intensify over east and west Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan during the same period, bringing the entire northwest plains under an active monsoon spell, the weather bureau said.
The revival comes at a crucial stage of the kharif season after nearly a week of subdued rainfall across the region. Fresh showers are expected to replenish soil moisture, support sowing and crop establishment, particularly for water-intensive crops such as paddy, sugarcane and maize, while reducing dependence on irrigation and ease concerns over delayed planting in some districts.
The northwest plains comprise Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh and Delhi, east and west Uttar Pradesh, and east and west Rajasthan.
As of 10 July, farmers had sown kharif crops across 53.12 million hectares, down from 63.25 million hectares a year ago, according to government data.
Meanwhile, the monsoon is expected to remain active over eastern and northeastern India. The IMD has forecast heavy to very heavy rainfall over Bihar, Sub-Himalayan West Bengal and Sikkim, the Northeast and the western Himalayan region over the next seven days. Isolated extremely heavy rainfall is likely over Sub-Himalayan West Bengal and Sikkim on 18 and 19 July.
In contrast, rainfall activity is expected to remain subdued over west-central and south peninsular India during the next seven days.
Over the past 24 hours, very heavy rainfall was recorded in Uttarakhand, Goa, interior Karnataka and Kerala, while heavy showers occurred in east Uttar Pradesh, east Madhya Pradesh, Telangana, Rayalaseema, Meghalaya and Manipur. Thunderstorms accompanied by squally winds of 40-60 kmph were also reported at isolated places across Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra and Konkan-Goa.
Despite the expected revival, the weather office has forecast hot and humid conditions over Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh and Delhi on 18 July.
The weather office has also advised fishermen against venturing into several parts of the Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal over the coming days because of strong winds and rough sea conditions. The advisory covers waters along the Somalia coast through 22 July; the south Gujarat coast and parts of the north and east-central Arabian Sea during 18-22 July; the Oman coast during 19-22 July; and the north Maharashtra coast during 20-22 July.
In the Bay of Bengal, fishermen have been warned against venturing into waters off the north Tamil Nadu coast during 18-19 July and the southwest and adjoining west-central Bay of Bengal during 19-21 July.
About the Author
Vijay C. Roy is a journalist with over 21 years of experience covering various news beats across different organisations such as Business Standard and The Tribune. In the past, he has covered beats such as finance, auto, MSME, commodities, FMCG, pharmaceutical, agriculture, IT/ITES, infrastructure and start-ups. He joined Mint in February 2025, and covers agriculture, food processing, fertilizers, environment and climate change, bringing over two decades of experience reporting on farm policy, food inflation, crop trade, and rural livelihoods.<br><br>Vijay’s areas of reporting include food security and climate change policies, focusing on their impact on different stakeholders and their implications. His expertise lies in simplifying complex agri-economic issues such as edible oil import dependence, cotton and wheat trends, fertiliser subsidies, and climate-related risks. He has covered key developments including global supply disruptions and evolving trade policies, offering both macroeconomic perspective and field-level context. Known for his credible and balanced reporting, he follows a rigorous, fact-based approach that prioritises accuracy and context. He is driven by a commitment to public interest, aiming to make critical agricultural and economic issues accessible while contributing to informed policy and industry discussions.
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