Monsoon rains 6% above average in past week: IMD

Monsoon rains in India were 6% above average in the week ended Aug. 3, the weather office said on Thursday.

The weather office has retained its forecast for an above-average monsoon this year, boosting hopes of a rise in farm output and income after two years of drought.

An average or normal monsoon means rainfall between 96 and 104% of a 50-year average of 89 centimetres.

The June-September monsoon is crucial for India's rain-fed farm sector that accounts for nearly 15 percent of its $2 trillion economy.

Farmers plant crops such as rice, soybeans, cotton and pulses in the summer-sowing season that starts in June.