Jul 30 2009 7:26PM
* Monsoon dips after 2 weeks of above-normal rains
* Water in reservoirs higher than yr ago, 10-year average
* Rainfall weak in corn regions, mixed in sugarcane area
By Ratnajyoti Dutta
NEW DELHI, July 30 (Reuters) - India's monsoon rains were 18 percent below normal in the week to July 29, the weather office said on Thursday, renewing fears of deficient crops after rainfall had been above normal for the previous two weeks.
Total rainfall in the country since the beginning of June was 19 percent below average, pulled down by the driest June in 83 years, data from the India Meteorological Department showed.
But water levels in India's 81 main reservoirs rose to 35 percent of capacity in the week to July 30, up from 23 percent a week earlier and 31 percent a year ago, government data showed.
Water in reservoirs also exceeded the 10-year average for end-July, easing worries of a shortfall in hydropower and concerns that winter-sown wheat and rapeseed may not get adequate irrigation.
Rains in the past week were below normal in the southern states of Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, where corn is grown, while in Uttar Pradesh, the leading cane producer, rains were scant in the eastern part but normal in its western districts.
The poor rains could delay harvest of summer-sown crops.
FORECAST
The weather office has forecast rains in many parts of Uttar Pradesh and neighbouring rice-growing regions in the next three days, but from Aug. 2 rain is forecast only in eastern and northeastern regions.
"Drought-like situation exists in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar," a farm ministry official told Reuters.
Sowing of most crops would be close to last year's level, while area under lentils and coarse grains would increase, said the official, who did not want to be identified.
He said rice crop would suffer, although the government would try to maximise the productivity of the crop that survived the dry patch.
"We will take about one more week to arrive at a proper assessment based on-ground realities," the official said.
The June-September rains are the main source of irrigation for Indian farms, and are crucial for Asia's third-largest economy.
For a factbox on impact of monsoons on Indian crops, see [ID:nDEL401846]. For full monsoon coverage see [ID:nMONSOON].
The weather department said all 36 weather zones received rains during the week to July 29, but the weekly rainfall was deficient to scanty in 19 zones.
The data showed rainfall was 1 percent above normal in India's central region, the main soybean producing belt, while the rains over the cane and paddy growing northwest region were still 32.5 percent below normal.
"The rains were good for the standing crop, but the follow-up rains would be more important for the crop's growth," said an official of the Indore-based Soybean Processors Association of India.
India has sold about 77,000 tonnes of soymeal from the new crop to South Korea for November and December shipments. See [ID:nSP529809]
Earlier this week, Farm Minister Sharad Pawar said India's sugarcane area had contracted to 4.27 million hectares from 4.38 million hectares a year ago as a prolonged dry spell, mainly in the top cane-producing state of Uttar Pradesh, hurt the crop
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