Monsoon rains 4 percent below average in past week - IMD
NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Monsoon rains in India were 4 percent below average in the week ended July 27, the India Meteorological Department said on Thursday. So far, the June-Sept monsoon has delivered average rains. An average or normal monsoon means rainfall between 96 and 104 percent of a 50-year average of 89 centimetres. The monsoon is crucial for rain-fed farm sector that accounts for nearly 15 percent of its $2 trillion economy. Farmers plant crops such as rice, soybeans, cotton and pulses in the summer-sowing season that starts in June. (Reporting by Sankalp Phartiyal; Editing by Sherry Jacob-Phillips)
