Rain deficit narrows as monsoon strengthens

India’s rain deficit narrowed to 19 per cent as the monsoon, the main source of irrigation for the nation’s 235 million farmers, gathered momentum, aiding sowing prospects, the weather office said.

The country got 298.7 millimeters of showers from June 1 to July 22, compared with 368.8 millimeter average for the period, said S Kaur, a director at India Meteorological Department, in a phone interview from New Delhi. Showers were 15 per cent above average in the week ended yesterday, she said.

Deficient rains have caused acreages of all major crops to lag year ago levels, denting prospects for bigger harvests of rice, oilseeds and sugarcane. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is relying on an increase in farm output to push economic growth back to a 9 per cent pace.