Mumbai: The country's crucial monsoon rains were 50 per cent below average in the week to June 13, the weather office said on Thursday, a second week of scant rain and confirmation the four-month season has got off to a slow start.
But crops are not greatly affected by the quantity of rains in these initial stages, with distribution of rainfall in mid-July after the monsoon should cover the entire country more important for their growth.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast average rainfall for the whole June to September season - the third year in a row to avoid a drought.
The monsoon rains are important for farm output and economic growth as about 55 per cent of the south Asian nation's arable land is rain-fed, and the farm sector accounts for about 15 per cent of a nearly $2-trillion economy, Asia's third-biggest.
The monsoon rains were 36 per cent below average in the first week, reflecting a delay in the arrival of the seasonal rains over south from the usual June 1 start date.
Copyright @Thomson Reuters 2012
But crops are not greatly affected by the quantity of rains in these initial stages, with distribution of rainfall in mid-July after the monsoon should cover the entire country more important for their growth.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast average rainfall for the whole June to September season - the third year in a row to avoid a drought.
The monsoon rains are important for farm output and economic growth as about 55 per cent of the south Asian nation's arable land is rain-fed, and the farm sector accounts for about 15 per cent of a nearly $2-trillion economy, Asia's third-biggest.
The monsoon rains were 36 per cent below average in the first week, reflecting a delay in the arrival of the seasonal rains over south from the usual June 1 start date.
Copyright @Thomson Reuters 2012
