Half of Monsoon Over, AP Faces 38% Deficit Rainfall; Only 43% Sowing Completed
Andhra Pradesh has recorded a 38% rainfall deficit midway through the monsoon, with kharif sowing reaching only 43% of the normal area.
Andhra Pradesh is facing a cumulative deficit rainfall of 38 per cent at the end of July and sowing could be completed only 43 per cent, as per the official records.
The precipitation figures highlight an increasingly weak and uneven distribution of rainfall across AP. The rainfall deficit increased from 3 per cent in June to 38 per cent in July. Between June 1 and July 31 (half of the southwest monsoon period), the state recorded 138.9mm of rainfall, against the seasonal normal of 225.2mm- a 38 per cent shortfall overall.
Andhra Pradesh’s sowing during the ongoing Kharif season has reached 13.32 lakh hectares (lh) as of July 29, which is 43 per cent of the season’s normal area of 30.84 lh, one per cent more than 13.16 lh in the previous year.
However, the erratic rainfall conditions due to the emergence of El-Nino raised concern about soil moisture and sowing conditions in parts of the state’s rain-fed agriculture belt.
As per the IMD, Annamayya district in Rayalaseema region recorded the highest rainfall deficit of 66 per cent at the end of July followed by 54 per cent deficit in West Godavari, around 50 per cent deficit each in Bapatla, Prakasam, Chittoor and Kadapa, districts, around 40 per cent deficit rainfall each in Alluri Sitarama Raju (ASR), Anakapalle, East Godavari, NTR, Manyam, and Visakhapatnam districts.
Similarly, around 30 per cent deficit rainfall in Nandyal, Eluru, Krishna, Nellore, Vizianagaram, Nandyal and Sri Sathya Sai districts was recorded.
Only four districts -- Konaseema, Guntur, Anantapur and Kurnool recorded normal rainfall (below 19 per cent deficit) during the period.
Paddy had been sown on 5.9 lakh hectares in the state as of July 29, 2026. This is around 0.37 lakh hectares lower than 6.36 lh recorded during the same period of last year. Similarly, maize had been sown on 0.724 lakh hectares in the state, which is 0.2 lakh hectares lower than the 0.98 lakh hectares recorded during the same period of last year.
The IMD reports said the southwest monsoon is normal over coastal AP and Yanam and weak over Rayalaseema. Tirupathi recorded the highest maximum temperature of 38°C in the region. Arogyavaram recorded the lowest minimum temperature of 24°C in the region.
