CropWatch indicators show overall above average crop condition for the entire country. The monitoring period was the main growing season of kharif crops, including rice and maize. India’s maximum VCI value never dropped below 0.5, except in some isolated areas in southern and northern India; in most states VCIx ranged between 0.8 and 1.0, indicating above average crop condition. Considering the spatial patterns of NDVI profiles, most areas experienced below average condition in July, but recovered around mid-August. Crop condition thendeclined again in parts of Maharashtra, And hra Pradesh, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, and Odhisa, and improved by the end of September. This probably happened due to erratic rainfall and increases in temperature as both rainfall and temperature were higher than average in central and East India, while lower than average rainfall was recorded in Punjab, Haryana, Kerela, and Uttar Pradesh. The low NDVI values from May to June are a result of the completion ofthe rabi crop harvest (by June), followed by the cultivation of kharif crops.Crop condition development was generally above average with crops at an advanced stage of maturity. Rainfall was 18% above average for the country, which led tolo calized floods in July and September in places such as Assam and Bihar, hampering the development of crops. However, main rice growing states like AndhraPradesh, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, Tripura, and West Bengal received slightly higher than average precipitation, which increased the yield potential. RADPARvalues were average, while temperature was 1.2°C higher than average for the country. BIOMSS was slightly below (-3%) the previous five-year average. InOctober, cyclone Hudhud seriously damaged agriculture in Andhra Pradesh and Odisha, among other states,the exact costs of which are still being assessed (see section 5.2).

Figure3.16. India crop condition,July –October 2014