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Monsoons progressing on schedule

The country's monsoon, a key influence on the economy, is progressing on schedule with rains covering parts of the southern and eastern regions, a senior weather department official said on Monday.

Good monsoon rains are crucial for a healthy harvest which increases rural incomes and boosts consumption. India is counting on good monsoon rains this year to shore up its sagging industrial sector and bolster economic growth.

"The southwest monsoon is proceeding more or less as per schedule," S R Kalsi of the India Meteorological Department, said.

The IMD said last month that it expected the June-September monsoon, which provides 80 per cent of the country's rainfall, to be normal this year.

Officials define a monsoon as normal if the overall rainfall is 10 per cent above or below the long-term average. The department expected this year's monsoon rainfall to be 98 per cent of the long-term average.

This year the southwest monsoon hit the Kerala coast on May 23, seven days earlier than schedule.

Kalsi said the monsoon rains had covered Kerala, some parts of interior Karnataka and parts of coastal Andhra Pradesh.

He said the monsoon had advanced towards eastern India, covering parts of West Bengal and the remote northeastern states including Sikkim. The monsoon had also arrived in parts of Bihar and Orissa.

Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal grow rice while spices and coconut are grown in Kerala. Andhra Pradesh also grows oilseeds and cotton.

Kalsi said the monsoon activity was likely to remain subdued in Kerala and neighbouring areas of coastal Karnataka.

Last year, the department forecast a normal monsoon for the twelfth year in succession but western and central parts of the country received less rainfall than expected.

Poor rains over the last two years harmed millions of people and killed thousands of cattle in central and western India.

The weather office has forecast the drought-affected states of Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh would receive monsoon rains amounting to 96 percent of the long-term average.

Gujarat mainly grows groundnut and cotton and Madhya Pradesh is the country's soybean bowl.

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