Unseasonal Rains

Unseasonal rains impacting rural demand, high-interest rates on auto loans and increased costs due to new regulatory norms are making the automotive industry cautious about the growth prospects in the current fiscal. The industry --- which witnessed the first full year without any impact of COVID-19 in FY23 after a gap of two years with double-digit growth of 21 per cent in overall retail sales -- is now set to clock tapered growth in the low single-digit due to a high base, according to the Federation of Automobile Dealers Associations (FADA). As per data shared by the dealers' body, the total domestic vehicle retail sales stood at 2,21,50,222 units in FY23 against 18,3,27,326 units in FY22. Maruti Suzuki India Senior Executive Officer, Marketing and Sales, Shashank Srivastava said the unseasonal rains in March and early April could have a dampening effect on the sentiment in the rural areas. "Because this is the harvest time and these rains are not so good (for the rural sales),"

Unseasonal rain in the last two days damaged crops over 7,400 hectares in five districts of the western Vidarbha region in Maharashtra, Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said on Monday. The intermittent showers affected crops in Amravati, Akola, Yavatmal, Washim and Buldana districts. Crops over 7,400 hectares are damaged. The damage assessment is completed on 3,243 hectares. The remaining assessment will be completed soon. As many as 7,596 farmers have been affected by the unseasonal showers, Fadnavis told reporters in Amravati district after holding review meetings. It is observed that certain villages in specific areas in the state have been frequently affected by unseasonal showers in the last few years. "We are working to find some solution to the new challenge of climate change, the deputy CM said. Fadnavis said the kin of those killed in the Akola tree fall incident would get financial assistance from the state. "The government has also decided to bear the entire med

Crops on more than 60,000 hectares of land in Marathwada in Maharashtra have been damaged due to last month's unseasonal rains and a sum of Rs 84.75 crore would be needed to give compensation to 1.22 lakh farmers, an official said on Friday. Quoting figures from the crop loss assessment survey carried out by the state government, he said Nanded saw the maximum loss with crops getting damaged on 21,579.50 hectares and affecting 36,543 farmers. "In Aurangabad, crops were destroyed on 13,535.07 hectares and 35,015 farmers were affected. In Latur, damage was on 10,367.83 hectares affecting 22,565 farmers," he said. The official said the compensation needed to be paid in Nanded was Rs 30.52 crore, Rs 22.17 crore in Aurangabad, Rs 10.56 crore in Latur, Rs 3.67 crore in Jalna, Rs 4.37 crore in Parbhani, Rs 6.04 crore in Hingol, Rs 5.99 crore in Beed and Rs 1.39 crore in Osmanabad.

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With the harvesting of wheat about to start, standing wheat crop was damaged after unseasonal rains accompanying strong winds lashed Punjab and Haryana last week

The unseasonal rainfall has put a brake on the sales of residential air conditioners, which had started to pick up early this year from mid-February as the temperature was rising. Now, in the second half of March, sales of AC have been impacted, however, makers see it as a "temporary phenomenon" and are hopeful of reaching their targets from April onwards when heat waves would start. Overall the AC industry, which had record sales of around 8.25 million units in 2022, expects to continue its double-digit growth journey this season also led by the prediction of harsh temperature and an elongated summer season. Panasonic Life Solutions India said it has witnessed a minor drop in sales due to unseasonal rains. "However, we have a long summer ahead and we are hopeful of meeting our targets if there are not too many weather disturbances like this," Panasonic Life Solutions India Business Head - Air Conditioners Group Gaurav Sah told PTI. When asked about the impact on sales after ...

Recent unseasonal rains damaged standing crops on 13,729 hectares in 8 districts of Maharashtra and orders have been issued to provide immediate relief, Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis told the state assembly on Wednesday. He said the untimely showers affected crops like mango, wheat and harbhara' (Bengal gram). Orders to release immediate relief and financial assistance have been issued, said Fadnavis. Maximum damage has been reported from Palghar, Nashik, Ahmednagar, Jalgaon, Nandurbar, Dhule, Buldhana and Washim districts, he said. A decision on immediate relief was taken on Tuesday night based on preliminary information and the exact extent of damage is being ascertained, he said. On Tuesday, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde's office said that he had spoken with the chief secretary and a few district collectors about the damage to crops. He had also instructed revenue officials to conduct the damage assessment survey of the affected areas, his office had said. On Wednesda

The Met Department has forecast unseasonal rain in some parts of Gujarat on Thursday and Friday due to a low depression developed over the East Central and adjoining South East Arabian Sea

Economists say annual headline inflation will likely start easing from September's 7.41% peak but price pressures on grains, vegetable, and milk will persist

A Low Pressure Area is likely to form, the India Meteorologial Department said on Wednesday and forecast rainfall in different parts of the southern states for the next five days

The production of cereals, pulses and oilseeds is estimated to decline by 1.95 per cent, 2.22 per cent and 13.48 per cent, respectively, in 2019-20 compared to last year, according to the report.

Unseasonal rains might make a return over the hills and plains of northern India in the next one-two days, but there intensity might not be very severe to cause any big damage to standing late-sown wheat and mustard crop.According to meteorologists, there would be some showers over Punjab, Haryana, west UP, Delhi, parts of Madhya Pradesh and even Maharashtra in the next 24-48 hours, which will pull down the temperatures by two-three degrees.However, its intensity might not be very great to cause any extensive damage to the standing crop."I don't expect the intensity of showers to be very great in the plains, but in the hills the rains would be good," G P Sharma, vice president of private weather forecaster Skymet said.The India Meteorological Department (IMD) in its weekly forecast said that rains and hailstorm might return by the end of March and the first week of April."Fresh western disturbance as an upper air system is very likely to affect western Himalayan region from March 30 on