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India is poised for its lowest monsoon rains in eight years, with the El Niño weather pattern seen crimping September precipitation after an August that is on track to be the driest in over a century, two weather department officials told Reuters on Monday.

The summer rainfall deficit could make essentials such as sugar, pulses, rice and vegetables more expensive and lift overall food inflation, which jumped in July to the highest since January 2020.

The monsoon, vital for India's $3 trillion economy, delivers nearly 70% of the rain the country needs to water crops and refill reservoirs and aquifers. Nearly half of the farmland in the world's most populous nation lacks irrigation.

"El Niño dampened rainfall in August, and it will also have a negative impact on September rainfall," said a senior official at the India Meteorological Department (IMD). They declined to be identified since they were not authorised to brief the media.

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