NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Monsoon rains were nearly half below average level in the week to June 11, data from the weather office showed on Thursday, reflecting the late onset of the annual rains over the southern Kerala coast.
During the initial days of the June-September season, summer crops such as rice, corn, soybean and cotton are not greatly affected by the quantity of rains, as distribution of rainfall in mid-July, after the monsoon covers the entire landmass, is more important for their growth.
India's farm sector accounts for 14 percent of its nearly $2 trillion economy.
(Reporting by Ratnajyoti Dutta; editing by Malini Menon)