India?s monsoon, the main source of irrigation for the nation?s 235 million farmers, advanced to the biggest cotton, sugar cane and rice-producing regions almost a week ahead of schedule, aiding early planting of crops. Monsoonal rains covered Mumbai, most parts of Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh states, and conditions are ?favorable? for their advance to south Gujarat and parts of Karnataka in the next two days, the India Meteorological Department said.
?Monsoon-sown rice production may climb as much as 7% to a record 86 million tonne as normal monsoon rains spur planting,? Tarsem Saini, president of the Federation of All India Rice Millers Association, said last week. ?That should prompt the government to ease a ban on grain exports,? Reddy said.State reserves of rice and wheat totaled 59.3 million tonne in state warehouses as of May 1, according to the Food Corporation of India.?The government should allow exports of food grains and help farmers make more money,? Reddy said. ?We have huge stocks and there is also need for food in some countries.?Wheat futures, which have jumped 80% in the past year, advanced for a third day on speculation that the US government may pare its estimate for global supply as droughts parch crops from the US to China. Rough rice futures have advanced 32% in the past year.Rains were 36% above average until Sunday, according to the India Meteorological Department. Farmers planted sugar cane in 5.06 million hectares as of June 3, compared with 4.86 million hectares a year earlier, the farm ministry said last week. Cotton was sown in 1.48 million hectares from 1.15 million hectares a year ago, it said.Rainfall may ?slightly weaken? in the week beginning June 11, delaying the advance of the moisture-laden winds over the eastern parts of the country, the bureau said on June 3.
Maharashtra has revised downward its 2010-11 sugar output forecast to 9 million tonne from the previous 9.1 million tonne, said a senior state government official.
Production of 9 million tonne is possible in the current year. Many sugar mills were forced to close operations due to early arrival of monsoon rains, said the official at the state’s sugar commissioner’s office.
Wet soil makes transporting cane to factories difficult.At the beginning of the season, industry officials were forecasting an output of 9.5 million tonne, which was later trimmed to 9.1 million tonne.The new forecast would be still higher than last year’s output of 7.09 million tonne.?Early arrival of monsoon rains in Maharashtra are likely to leave more than 1 million tonne of cane uncrushed in 2010-11 season ending September,? a senior official said.
