India's monsoon misses normal rainfall forecast for a second straight year

The annual four-month rainy season is critical to the country's agriculture sector as it affects summer and winter crop sowing

India’s monsoon, which accounts for more than 70 per cent of annual precipitation, missed a forecast for normal rainfall for a second year.

Showers totalled 804 millimeters -- or about 91 per cent of the 50-year average -- in the June to September period, data from the India Meteorological Department showed. The bureau had maintained a forecast of 97 per cent in August despite dry conditions in the first half of the season. A monsoon is normal when rainfall is between 96 and 104 per cent of the long-term average.

The annual four-month rainy season is critical to the country’s