Monsoon rains were
9 per cent below normal in the week to June 15, the weather office said on Thursday, with rice and cotton growing regions in the south and east suffering the lowest rainfall.
The June-September
monsoon is in the early stages and crops are not greatly affected by the quantity of rains now, the Indian Meteorological Department said. All eyes will now be set on the distribution of rainfall in mid-July after monsoon
covers the entire country.
Last year, which saw a normal monsoon, the rainfall was below normal in the week ending June 16.
In the previous week this year, the monsoon was 16 per cent above average with heavy rains in the tea, rubber, coffee and corn growing areas of southern India, and rice, cane and cotton areas in the west.
Monsoon hit the country's southern coast on May 29 this year, three days ahead of schedule. It is expected to enter soybean growing areas of central India this weekend, sources at the weather office said.
They said the monsoon's progress over central India was three days behind schedule.
The Meteorological Department is expected to release its outlook for the rest of the monsoon season early next week.
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