Monsoon rains 50%
below average in second week
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.
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.
Excerpt from
Reuters (14Jun2012)
Praful Rao
