India, the world’s second-biggest sugar producer, has allowed mills and refiners to import duty-free raw sugar in an effort to tame record local prices.

Raw sugar climbed to the highest in more than a year, on signs of buying interest in India amid prospects of the country easing import duties because of tight supplies.

India’s monsoon crop planting has largely recovered after normal July rains helped offset the driest June in 12 years, potentially easing food inflation if the precipitation persists.

India, the world’s No. 2 sugar producer, is considering cutting import duties on the commodity to help curb domestic prices that recently rose to a record.

India, one of the world’s biggest urea importers, received offers for the soil nutrient that were 12% below the June purchase price, signaling that the war-driven tightness in the global fertilizer market is easing.

Indian sugar producers are set to start crushing cane earlier than usual in the upcoming milling season as the government seeks to bolster supplies and rein in record prices ahead of the festival period.

India is likely to receive below-normal rainfall in July, the monsoon’s wettest month, after its driest June in 12 years, threatening to further delay crop planting across large parts of the country.

A weak monsoon is emerging as India’s next inflation risk, with a developing El Niño threatening to curb rainfall and push up food prices just as an easing oil relieves broader price pressures.

A weak monsoon is emerging as India’s next inflation risk, with a developing El Niño threatening to curb rainfall and push up food prices just as an easing oil relieves broader price pressures.

India is urging farmers in rain-fed areas with limited irrigation to shift to less water-intensive crops such as pulses, oilseeds and millets as authorities prepare for a potentially weak monsoon that could weigh on agricultural output.

Raw sugar futures gave up earlier gains in New York as the market struggled to snap a recent losing streak, with a drop in crude futures and expectations of a large Brazilian cane harvest continuing to weigh on the market.

India’s annual monsoon rains that are crucial for farm output are likely to arrive around Thursday at Kerala state on the country’s southern tip, a few days after the official start date.

India’s annual monsoon rains that are crucial for farm output are likely to arrive around Thursday at Kerala state on the country’s southern tip, a few days after the official start date.

India’s annual monsoon rains that are crucial for farm output are likely to arrive around Thursday at Kerala state on the country’s southern tip, a few days after the official start date.

Sugar futures in New York posted the biggest gain in a month on concerns that an emerging El Niño weather pattern could curb rainfall and damage the cane crop in India, the world’s second-largest producer.

India lowered this year’s monsoon forecast, a blow to farmers who are already facing higher input costs due to the Middle East conflict.

India lowered this year’s monsoon forecast, a blow to farmers who are already facing higher input costs due to the Middle East conflict.

India is seeking offers from global suppliers to buy 1.7 million tons of urea, a widely used nitrogen fertilizer, ahead of the monsoon sowing season, as the Middle East conflict disrupted gas supplies for domestic output.

India is considering a request by the domestic vegetable oil industry to raise import duties, potentially increasing taxes on another major commodity just after a hike in gold tariffs.

India expects its monsoon rains to arrive early this year, offering some relief for farmers who rely on the seasonal showers for timely sowing of crops like rice and soybeans.