The Southwest monsoon’s revival in July, in the face of a strengthening El Niño, has helped considerably narrow the gap in area sown under kharif crops this season relative to last year’s coverage.The Agriculture Ministry’s data shows that Indian farmers had planted only 350.85 lakh hectares (lh) area in the current kharif (monsoon) season till July 6, which was 20.8% below the 442.80 lh sown during the same period of 2025.These acreage gaps were even higher for oilseeds (39.3%), pulses (21.8%) and cotton (23%). A previous explained column had pointed out that the combined value of India’s imports of the three commodities was close to $25 billion in 2025-26 (April-March) and how El Niño could push this further to a new high in the current fiscal.The above lag in sowings was courtesy of a poor start to the monsoon season (June-September). Rainfall during June for the country as a whole was 38% below the normal long-period average (LPA) for the month.June usually witnesses around three low-pressure systems (LPS) that bring rain and are active over 11 days of the month. This June was an anomaly, with not a single LPS being formed. That made it the sixth driest June in India since 1901. The previous five years to have registered lower June rainfall were 2014, 2009, 1926, 1923 and 1905.Also Read | How India prevented major fertiliser shortages despite West Asia war, and the concerns nowSignificantly, the deficient June rainfall was despite El Niño only emerging and being in a weak-to-moderate phase that month.The July turnaroundIn July, El Niño intensified into a moderate-to-strong event.Story continues below this adYet, this month recorded four LPSs, as against the normal three. And since these systems moved slowly with longer durations, the number of LPS-affected days were about 24 (normal is 14). As a result, all-India rainfall in July was 2.4% above the LPA. This was contrary to the India Meteorological Department’s (IMD) forecast of “most likely to be below normal (