New Delhi, July 16 -- Nashik onion farmer Karbhari Jadhav lost nearly a quarter of his crop after unseasonal rains lashed Maharashtra in April. Yet, the 48-year-old is more optimistic than he was a year ago. Last year, Jadhav struggled to sell his onions for more than Rs.12 a kg. This season, wholesale prices have already climbed to Rs.27-28 a kg as lower rabi stocks and fears of a weak monsoon push prices higher. "I'll more than make up for the production losses through better prices," Jadhav said. The temporarily higher prices have eased Jadhav's immediate worries. But as he prepares to sow the next crop, uncertainty hovers. Like millions of farmers, he needs steady monsoon rains over the coming weeks. While farmers fear patchy rainfall could reduce this year's harvest, wholesale traders have already begun pushing up prices of onions, pulses, edible oils and some vegetables on expectations of tighter supplies in the months ahead. More than half of India's districts have received deficient or largely deficient rainfall so far this monsoon, highlighting the uneven spread of rains despite the nationwide shortfall appearing less severe. According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), 53% of districts are currently classified as either deficient or largely deficient, even though cumulative rainfall across the country is only 21% below the Long Period Average (LPA). The disparity shows that while some regions have received adequate rain, large parts of the country continue to face prolonged dry spells that could hurt kharif crops. This effect is likely to compound for rain-fed crops such as pulses, soybean and maize, for which the timing of rainfall often matters more than the seasonal total. Long dry spells during sowing and the early stages of crop growth can reduce yields even if rainfall catches up later. Those concerns are already becoming visible on the ground. According to Garima Jain, chief executive officer at Torq Commodities, lower rainfall since July 8 in parts of Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Gujarat has pushed up temperatures and reduced soil moisture. "With similar conditions expected for the next 7-10 days as well, we can confidently say acreage under pulses, millets and oilseeds is likely to decline," she said. The first signs are already visible in retail markets. Data from the department of consumer affairs show onion prices were nearly 20% higher than a year ago as of Tuesday and almost 33% higher than a month earlier. Potato prices have risen almost 11% over the past month. Among pulses, urad prices were up nearly 4% from a year ago and tur about 2%. Edible oils continue to trade 12-17% higher than last year. Economists caution that some increase in prices of perishable vegetables is common before the monsoon because intense summer heat affects supplies. However, delayed or deficient rainfall can amplify those gains as traders begin anticipating lower kharif output. "Perishable vegetables often become costlier during May and June because of the summer heat. A part of the increase this year is also because of concerns that delayed monsoon rains may affect production after the kharif season," Yuvika Singhal, economist at Quanteco, explained....