Rains 36% below average in first week

Reflects the delay in the arrival of the seasonal rains over Kerala from the usual June 1

Rains were 36% below average in the week to June 6, the weather office said on Thursday, reflecting the delay in the arrival of the seasonal rains over Kerala from the usual June 1 start date.

The four-month long rainy season is in the initial stages and crops are not greatly affected by the quantity of rains now, with distribution of rainfall in mid-July after the monsoon covers the entire country more important for their growth.

On Tuesday, the monsoon arrived in Kerala four days after the usual arrival date as a cyclone on the west coast stalled the onset.

The weather office had predicted a June 1 start for the rains and has a four-day margin of error for its forecast. It forecast average rainfall for the whole June to September season -- the third year in a row to avoid a drought.

The monsoon rains are crucial for farm output and economic growth as about 55% of the south Asian nation's arable land is rain-fed, and the farm sector accounts for about 15% of a nearly $2-trillion economy, Asia's third-biggest.