The country has drawn up contingency plans for more than 300 districts which are vulnerable to a weak monsoon as it steps up preparations for the summer-sown season to minimise the impact on crops, its farm minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said.
The monsoon has so far brought rains about 43% below average, and the weather office has forecast weak rains through the week ending July 2, he said on Tuesday.
The India Meteorological Department defines average, or normal, rainfall as between 96% and 104% of a 50-year average of 87cm for the June-September monsoon season. Last month, it forecast a weak 2026 monsoon and the lowest rainfall in 11 years.
The monsoon delivers about 70% of the annual rains in the country and is critical for replenishing water sources, where nearly half of farmland lacks irrigation and about half the population relies on farming for its livelihood. — Reuters
