India’s monsoon, which accounts for about three-quarters of annual rainfall, is set to cover the entire country about a week earlier than usual even after a delayed start.
(Bloomberg) — India’s monsoon, which accounts for about three-quarters of annual rainfall, is set to cover the entire country about a week earlier than usual even after a delayed start.
The monsoon will likely cover the entire nation in the next two to three days, according to the India Meteorological Department. The swift progress this year may improve prospects for sowing crops including rice, pulses and soybeans.
The annual rains typically start on June 1 and reach the whole of India by July 8, before lasting through the end of September. They arrived on June 8 this year, the latest since 2019, according to data from the weather bureau.
Farmers in India, the world’s second-largest producer of rice, sugar and cotton, rely on the timing of the monsoon to decide which crops to grow. The four-month rainy season is crucial for production levels and food prices. The agriculture sector employs around half of the country’s workforce and a weaker-than-normal monsoon could put their livelihoods at risk.
India’s monsoon rainfall, which waters half of the country’s farm land, has been 16% below normal since the beginning of the season after a late start, according to the weather bureau. The northwest region got 42% more rain than average, while precipitation in the rest of the nation was below normal, it said.
The government has predicted a normal monsoon this year, with rainfall likely to be 96% of the long-term average. This has helped soothe concerns about inflation for now, although analysts are closely monitoring weather risks as an El Niño event and a positive Indian Ocean Dipole could impact rainfall.
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