The reporting period covers mainly the growth and harvest of wet season crops in this MPZ. According to CropWatch indicators, the overall crop condition is average for the region, with marked differences between the dry west and the east. For the whole MPZ, rainfall was 12% above average, resulting from excess rainfall in Bangladesh (RAIN, +5%), Cambodia (+120%), Myanmar (+6%), Thailand (+82%), and Vietnam (+74%). However, in India rainfall was below average (-30%) as a whole, resulting from poor rainfall in Andhra Pradesh (-71%), Assam (-7%), Bihar (-23%), Chhattisgarh (-25%), Goa (-69%), Jharkhand (-58%), Kerala (-62%), Karnataka (-74%), Maharashtra (-42%), Madhya Pradesh (-34%), Nagaland (-15%), Odisha (-28%), Tamil Nadu (-60%), and West Bengal (-18%). A significant rainfall peak (+612 mm) occurred in the central regions of Vietnam in December, in relation with several cyclones that are described in the section on disasters (section 5.2). 

The MPZ experienced average temperature and RADPAR. Temperature peaks were noticed only in limited areas such as northern India (+3.0°C) in December. Cold spells occurred over the MPZ in November (-1.5°C) and in late January (-0.8°C). In the north, temperature was consistently above average. 

The biomass accumulation (BIOMSS) increased in the region by 2% as compared to the five-year average for the region and this same period. It was, however, down 20% in central to southern India, whereas the rest of the countries in the MPZ and western India experienced positive BIOMSS departures close to or above +20%. The largest biomass accumulation potential increases were recorded in Thailand (+38%), Vietnam (+37%), Myanmar (+10%), Cambodia (+62%), and Bangladesh (+16%). For India as a whole, BIOMSS dropped 20% below the average of the previous five years.

Maximum VCI values were high, except in parts of southern and northern India and in some parts of Vietnam, indicating poor crop condition in those areas. The minimum VHI values were distributed in a scattered manner, with lowest values in India, confirming the water stress in those areas.

Overall, agroclimatic indicators and vegetation indices show favorable crop condition throughout the region, with the exception of a large area in India and possibly parts of northern Vietnam.

a. Spatial distribution of rainfall profiles b. Profiles of rainfall departure from average (mm)

c. Spatial distribution of temperature profiles d. Profiles of temperature departure from average (°C)