De-risking agriculture

Unseasonal rains and hailstorms have savaged the crops of farmers, especially in central and western India; many of these — chana, lentils and wheat in Madhya Pradesh, mustard in Rajasthan or onions and grapes in Maharashtra – were due for harvesting. Unusually intense western disturbances originating from the Mediterranean Sea interacting with moist south-easterly winds from the Bay of Bengal were the cause of the heavy rain and hail-producing thunderstorms, resulting in crop destruction. So, instead of the expected bumper harvest on the back of excellent monsoons, the farmers reaped only misery.

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