India’s wheat crop may be smaller than the record forecast by the government after hailstorm damaged planted areas this month.
About 12.1 million hectares of the 30.6 million hectares of wheat planted was damaged from the hail and rain on 1 March to 18 March, an India agriculture ministry official said. India received 49.2 millimeters of rain in the period, which is more than three times the average, the official added.
Damage to crops from corn to lentils, mustard and fruits is likely to boost food prices, fuelling domestic inflation. Consumer prices rose 5.37% last month from a year earlier, up from January’s 5.19%.