India will witness above-normal monsoon this year, the weather office has predicted.
The prediction is good news for agriculture and the economy as the sector accounts for 18% of India’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP). The livelihoods of over 42 per cent of the population also depends on agriculture.
“India is likely to see above-normal rainfall in the four-month monsoon season (June to September) with cumulative rainfall estimated at 105 per cent of the long-period average of 87 cm,” India Meteorological Department (IMD) chief Mrutyunjay Mohapatra said. El Nino conditions, which contribute to below-normal monsoon in the Indian subcontinent, are also unlikely to develop this year.
The monsoon usually makes landfall in Kerala around June 1 and retreats in mid-September.
