NEW DELHI, Aug 4 (Reuters) – Monsoon rains in India were six percent above average in the week ended Aug. 3, the weather office said on Thursday.
The weather office has retained its forecast for an above-average monsoon this year, boosting hopes for increased farm output and income after two years of drought.
An average or normal monsoon means rainfall between 96 and 104 percent of a 50-year average of 89 centimetres.
The June-September monsoon is crucial for India’s 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.
