India's monsoon vulnerability declines

A Ben Bernstein report released on July 7, 2026, highlights that India's economy has become less dependent on monsoon rains due to expanding irrigation networks and changing cropping patterns. Irrigated area now covers nearly 60% of cultivated land, up from 42% in the early 2000s, and the share of monsoon-dependent Kharif crops in foodgrain production has fallen to 47% from 60% in the 1990s. The report notes that poor monsoons are unlikely to trigger major food security or rural demand shocks as in the past, though risks of groundwater depletion and rising electricity demand remain.