The business of weather
A rise in extreme weather events has highlighted the importance of reliable weather forecasting and created a multimillion-dollar opportunity in India.
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Editor's note: Over the next four months, the 150 million or so farmer families in India will live and die by the weather. With each day’s delay in the monsoon’s onset, they will lose hope for a good crop year bit by bit. A fortnight’s delay can set back the production of the kharif or summer crop by over 20%. Late harvest of summer crops will result in a smaller window for the sowing of the rabi or winter crop, which will, in turn, impact production. A late monsoon means weddings will get delayed. Renovation of homes will be postponed. Buying decisions—from tractors to new clothes—will be put on hold. It’s a story that repeats over the years. Over 60% of India’s population is dependent on agriculture, which depends heavily on the monsoon and contributes ~15% to the gross domestic product. No wonder the monsoon is tracked very keenly and any deviation from its predicted approach causes a significant uproar. Weather makes the world go around. From e-commerce to aviation to power generation, everything is run by the weather. Logistics companies use …
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