Monsoon covers whole country 17 days in advance, boost to kharif sowing

Pick-up in rains should aid kharif sowing, which till June 29 was 22% lower than last year due to break in showers in most of central, northern and eastern India

The southwest monsoon seems to have picked up pace after a break, covering the entire country on Friday, almost 17 days ahead of schedule, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).

The pick-up in rains should aid sowing of kharif crops, which till June 29 was almost 21.60 per cent lower than last year mainly due to break in showers between June 13 and June 26-27 in most of central, northern and eastern India.

The worst impacted has been sowing of pulses, oilseeds and cotton as the monsoon didn't reach Central and North India on time.

The data showed that till