This monitoring period is marked by the steady increase of rainfall  after the dry winter period.  The harvests of wheat and winter rice (Rabi) concluded in April and May. Planting of  maize and summer rice (Kharif) took place from May to July and soybean was sown in June and July.

The line graph of NDVI-based crop growth process shows that the crop conditions continued to be below average from April to June. It was close to the average in July. The overall maximum vegetation condition index (VCIx) in India was at 0.75. From spatial distribution of VCIx, it can be seen that the values were below 0.75 in the Agriculture areas in North-western Dry region, Deccan Plateau and Agriculture areas in Rajastan and Gujarat. From the spatial clustering NDVI anomaly map, it can be seen that crop growth was close to the average level before May. For 21.2% areas it decreased due to serious flood and waterlogging disasters in June and July, whereas it increased on 27.4% favored by sufficient precipitation. Compared with the average level of the same period in the past 5 years, the proportion of cultivated land was at a normal level. The crop production index was 0.86, which was better than in the last 2 years for the same period.

The agricultural meteorological indicators of nationwide India show that compared to the average level of the same period in the past 15 years, the precipitation was below average in April, but increased to above thereafter. The seasonal precipitation was above average by 28%. There was slightly higher temperature and slightly lower PAR. These factors caused a potential increase of 6% in biomass. Overall, crop conditions were average for India.

Regional analysis

According to crop cultivation system, climate zone, and terrain conditions, India is divided into 8 agricultural ecological zones, namely the Deccan Plateau region (94), the eastern coastal region (95), the Ganges Plain region (96), the Assam and Northeast regions (97), the Rajasthan and Gujarat agricultural regions (98), the western coastal region (99), the northwest arid region (100), and the western Himalaya region (101).

NDVI trended below average in April, May and July in the Assam and north-eastern regions. NDVI was below average in June and July in the West Himalayan region. The departures of accumulated precipitation in the Assam and north-eastern regions and West Himalayan region were  23% and  14% below the 15YA. The cropped arable land fraction  was close to the average. The CPIs were 0.91 and 0.90 in these two regions.  The NDVI in the Gangetic plain was  below the 5-year average, especially in May and June, but improved to close to average levels in July. The cropped arable land fraction departure was close to the average. The CPI in Gangetic plain was 0.92.

In the eastern coastal and western coastal regions, NDVI was below average in April and May, but improved to above average thereafter. These regions had a strong precipitation deficit in April, but precipitation was above average in June and July. The cropped arable land fraction departure was 6% in the eastern coastal region and in the western coastal region it was close to the average. The CPIs were 0.98 and 0.92 in the eastern coastal region and western coastal region. On the contrary, positive precipitation departures were observed for North-western dry region (+135%), Agriculture areas in Rajastan and Gujarat (+58%) and Deccan plateau (+78%), which resulted in maximum VCI of these three regions of 0.45, 0.65 and 0.70. The cropped arable land fraction was 35% for the North-western dry region. Its CPI was 0.98. The cropped arable land fraction departures were -6% and -6% in Agriculture areas  in Rajastan and Gujarat and Deccan plateau. The CPIs in both regions were 0.7 and 0.79, the lowest values for India. 

Figure 1. Crop growth during April to July in 2024

(a) Phenological calendar of major crops

(b) Crop growth NDVI profile

(c) Maximum vegetation condition index

(c) Spatial cluster of NDVI anomaly（compared with 5-year average）  (d) Profile of NDVI spatial cluster

(e) CPI in India

(g) Precipitation profile

(h)  Temperature profile

(i) crop growth NDVI profile (Assam and north-eastern regions, Western Himalayan region and Gangatic plain )

(j) crop growth NDVI profile(Eastern coastal region, Western coastal areas, North-western dry region, Agriculture areas in Rajastan and Gujarat and Deccan Plateau) 

Table 1. Agricultural meteorological indicators in 8 ecological zones in India during April to July in 2024 against the same period as the past 15 years

Table 2 Agricultural meteorological indicators in 8 ecological zones in India during April to July in 2024 against the same period as the past 5 years