Monsoon rains will come earlier than normal in India, there will be a boom in sowing of crops
India's monsoon season rains are due across the country by the weekend, according to meteorological officials, allowing farmers in northern states to start sowing summer-sown crops a week earlier than usual.
The monsoon, the lifeblood of India's $3 trillion economy, provides about 70% of the rain needed to water its farms and recharge reservoirs and aquifers. This also gives relief from the scorching heat.
In a normal year, the state of Kerala on India's southwest coast usually receives rain around June 1 and moves north to cover the entire country by July 8.
This year, the formation of severe cyclone Biperjoy in the Arabian Sea delayed the onset of monsoon rains and halted their progress, covering only a third of the country till last week.
But the rains resumed over the weekend and by Tuesday it had spread to other parts of the country except for some areas in the northern states of Rajasthan, Punjab and Haryana, a senior India Meteorological Department (IMD) official told Reuters. Said, "By this weekend, the monsoon will cover the rest of the areas as well."
IMD data shows that the resumption of rains during the last few days has reduced the rain deficit in the June-September season to 23% from 33% a week ago.
A second IMD official said several north-eastern, central and northern states are likely to receive heavy rains this week, bringing the deficit down to below 20%.
Sowing of paddy, cotton, soybean, pulses and other summer-sown crops has been delayed, a senior government official said on condition of anonymity, but sowing would pick up from this week.
The IMD has forecast an average amount of rainfall for the entire four-month season despite the formation of an El Nino weather pattern.
A strong El Niño, marked by sea surface warming over the Pacific Ocean, can cause severe drought in Southeast Asia, India and Australia.
The emergence of El Niño weather patterns resulted in only the fourth drought in more than a century in 2014 and 2015, driving many Indian farmers into poverty.
