By Reuters
MUMBAI - India’s monsoon rains in the week ending on Wednesday were below average for the fifth time in a row, although the deficit was the lowest since the start of the season after it revived in central and western regions.
A man rides a motorcycle through a water-logged street during heavy rains in Mumbai, India, July 1, 2019. (REUTERS/Francis Mascarenhas/MANILA BULLETIN)
Monsoon rains are crucial for farm output and economic growth, as about 55% of India’s arable land is rain-fed, and agriculture forms about 15% of a $2.5-trillion economy that is the third biggest in Asia.
India received 6% less rainfall than the 50-year average in the week ended on July 3, data from the India Meteorological Department (IMD) showed.
Soybean- and cotton-growing central regions received 43 percent more rainfall in the week, while the rubber- and tea-growing southern state of Kerala got 87 percent lower rainfall.
India has received rain that is 28 percent less than average since the monsoon season began on June 1.
A man rides a motorcycle through a water-logged street during heavy rains in Mumbai, India, July 1, 2019. (REUTERS/Francis Mascarenhas/MANILA BULLETIN)
Monsoon rains are crucial for farm output and economic growth, as about 55% of India’s arable land is rain-fed, and agriculture forms about 15% of a $2.5-trillion economy that is the third biggest in Asia.
India received 6% less rainfall than the 50-year average in the week ended on July 3, data from the India Meteorological Department (IMD) showed.
Soybean- and cotton-growing central regions received 43 percent more rainfall in the week, while the rubber- and tea-growing southern state of Kerala got 87 percent lower rainfall.
India has received rain that is 28 percent less than average since the monsoon season began on June 1.