{
  "id": 9246639,
  "title": "Weak rains leave a trail of wilted crops, dry plots",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/23/weak-rains-leave-a-trail-of-wilted-crops-dry-plots",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-23T02:15:48.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Hindustan Times",
    "slug": "hindustan-times",
    "url": "https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/weak-rains-leave-a-trail-of-wilted-crops-dry-plots-101790129467166.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Farmers in Maharashtra’s Vidarbha region, hit by a 15% rainfall deficit across the country, are witnessing wilted crops and dry plots. Lal Singh Thakur, a farmer from Pipla, Nagpur, faced a 37% rainfall deficit in his area and is expecting to lose his investment in soybean, as the 300-foot borewell dried up. Despite his field being too dry for animal grazing, Thakur's misfortune mirrors the stress reported in several rain-dependent farming areas. India received 703.7mm of rain, far below the normal 827.2mm. Maharashtra is among the states with the largest drought-affected areas, at 83.5%, according to the India Drought Monitor. While well-irrigated areas such as Punjab, Haryana, and western Uttar Pradesh may not see significant yield declines, drought-affected parts of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, and Karnataka are expected to bear the brunt. India's production target for the 2026-27 Kharif season is set at 176.16 million tonnes, slightly higher than the 176.04 million tonnes produced in 2025-26. However, the government remains optimistic that a lower harvest will not lead to food shortages, as India already produces a substantial surplus of several crops.",
  "summary": "The India Drought Monitor, maintained by the Water and Climate Lab at IIT Gandhinagar, puts 52.5% of the country’s area in the drought category.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}