Farmers worried as cotton yield may be hit this year due to poor rains

Farmers keep their fingers crossed, rainfall in the July - August period crucial for plant growth

Even as farmers seem inclined to bring more area under cotton this year, they fear a decline in yield due to deficient rainfall in major growing areas during the last three weeks.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) forecast this year's monsoon, like last year's, to be normal. But, despite being a normal monsoon in terms of the long-period average (LPA), distribution remained a worry last year. While the middle, northern and eastern parts of India received above normal rainfall, the western and southern parts remained deficient. Experts have started fearing a repeat of last year, with reports of deficient rainfall