India Likely Faces Below-Normal Rainfall in June Due to Slow Monsoon Progress

India is likely to experience below-normal rainfall in June due to the slow progress of the monsoon, according to the country's weather department. This development has raised significant concerns for the agricultural sector, which is heavily dependent on monsoon rains.

Summer rains, which are crucial to the economic growth of Asia's third-largest economy, usually commence in the south around June 1 and spread nationwide by July 8. These rains enable farmers to plant vital crops such as rice, cotton, soybeans, and sugarcane.

The state-run India Meteorological Department (IMD) announced that the country is most likely to receive below-normal rains, defined as less than 92% of the long-period average rainfall. This marks a shift from the IMD's previous forecast of normal rainfall for June.

Since June 1, India has recorded 20% less rainfall than normal, according to IMD data. Most regions, with the exception of a few southern states, have experienced rainfall shortfalls, while some northwestern states are facing heat waves.

The monsoon is essential to the nearly $3.5-trillion economy, delivering around 70% of the rain required to irrigate farms and replenish reservoirs and aquifers. Nearly half of India's farmland, in the world's second-largest producer of rice, wheat, and sugar, lacks access to irrigation and relies on these annual rains, which typically continue until September.

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