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India is likely to receive average rainfall in July despite the likely emergence of the El Nino weather pattern, a senior climate department official said, encouraging farmers to speed up planting of the crop, which has progressed slowly due to irregular rains in June.
The monsoon, vital to India's $3 trillion economy, provides nearly 70% of the rain needed to irrigate its farms and replenish reservoirs and aquifers. It also brings relief from the worst summer heat waves.
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Most parts of the country will receive good rains in July, Mrutyunjay Mohapatra, director general of the India Meteorological Department (IMD), told reporters.
“July precipitation could be 100 to 106% of the long-period average,” he said.
The July rains are crucial, as they represent the majority of precipitation for the four-month monsoon season.
This year, the country is in dire need of good rains in July as many pockets received below normal rainfall in June due to delayed onset of monsoon and its slow progress till the third week of June due to the formation of severe cyclone Biparjoy.
The monsoon progressed rapidly this week, Mohapatra said.
A strong El Niño, marked by a warming of the sea surface in the Pacific Ocean, could cause severe droughts in Southeast Asia, India and Australia.
Source: Rajendra Jadhav and Mayank Bhardwaj | Notícias Agrícolas
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