Monsoon Cover entire country, deficiency still 23%
New Delhi. The southwest monsoon rains have reached all parts of the country, the Indian Metrolgical Department said on Wednesday.
Good news is reduction in deficiency in rains, which stood at 31% in the beginning of July, now it has been reduced to 25%. The south-west monsoon had hit Kerala on June 5, but made slow progress affecting sowing of major Kharif crops such as paddy, pulses and coarse cerealsMonsoon, the life-line of Indian agriculture, today covered the entire country but the rains are still deficient by 23%, a top official of India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.
“Rainfall situation has improved but it is still minus 23%. Monsoon is covering entire country today with parts of Gujarat and Rajasthan receiving heavy rains,” IMD director general LS Rathore told reporters in Delhi.
With improvement in monsoon rains, Rathore noted that the planting of paddy, soyabean and groundnut would pick up. He, however, pointed out that scanty rains in Karnataka and Maharashtra might affect coarse cereals.
Rathore was speaking to media after attending a meeting with Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar and Food Minister KV Thomas to discuss the progress of monsoon.
“Rains will now shift to Himalayas, Terai and north east region. The 23% deficit in rains is likely to continue until next week,” Rathore said.
So far, he said that some parts of Karnataka, Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Gujarat and central Madhya Pradesh have received scanty rains.
