Haryana Traders Watch Sales After India’s Weakest Rainfall Since 2015

India’s weakest rainfall since 2015 has left traders in Haryana watching post-monsoon sales closely, as farmers bring harvests to market with lower rice yields and rising input costs.

Post-monsoon demand under watch

For Ajay Kumar Chutani, whose family has run a sari shop in the north Indian market town of Karnal since the 1970s, the months after the monsoon are usually the busiest period of the year.

During these cooler weeks, Chutani sells enough lengths of silk and embroidered cotton to support his business through leaner seasons.

The demand is tied to farming families preparing for weddings and the frenetic festival season.

This year, after erratic rains through the wet season, Chutani is monitoring his till closely.

“The next three months decide our annual profit,” he said, adding that he was hopeful for a sales increase.

Harvests shape rural spending

Consumption typically weakens when rainfall is deficient, because poorer harvests leave farmers with less cash in hand.

Across India’s northern grain belt, including the breadbasket state of Haryana, farmers are now bringing their harvest to market.

This is normally a period of frenzied activity, when seasonal windfalls determine spending on special purchases ranging from tractors to wedding gold.

But the current season has brought pressure on farm incomes, with rice yields down and costs rising.

Farmers say they need more chemicals and fertilisers to limit production losses.

That matters for shops such as Chutani’s because post-monsoon farm earnings help decide how much rural families spend during weddings and festivals.

For businesses dependent on these seasonal purchases, the coming months will show how far erratic rains and weaker harvests weigh on demand.

Source: South China Morning Post