MUMBAI (Reuters) -India is likely to get above-average monsoon rainfall in September after receiving 5% above-normal rains in August, the state-run weather department said on Sunday.
Above-normal rainfall could damage India’s summer-sown crops like rice, cotton, soybean, corn, and pulses, which are typically harvested from mid-September.
All regions, except northeastern states and the southern states of Tamil Nadu and Kerala, are likely to receive rainfall equating to 109% of the 50-year average in September, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.
The monsoon is the lifeblood of India’s nearly $4 trillion economy, delivering almost 70% of the rainfall needed to water farms and replenishing aquifers and reservoirs.
Nearly half of India’s farmland is not irrigated and depends on the annual June-September rains for crop growth.
(Reporting by Rajendra JadhavEditing by Ros Russell)
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