JOIN US“Conditions are becoming favourable for further advance of monsoon into remaining parts of the country during next 3-4 days,” the Indian Meteorological Department said on Sunday.
However, it said, the advance of monsoon over parts of Uttar Pradesh may be feeble.
The monsoon rains have been 16 per cent below normal for this season, mostly due to sluggish progress. The annual rains have not advanced since June 18 when they covered half of the country.
The monsoon has advanced into remaining parts of Gujarat, South Rajasthan, some parts of Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh due to a low pressure area brewing up in the Bay of Bengal.
“The conditions are favourable for the further advance of the monsoon to the remaining parts of the country,” a senior IMD official said.
Sowing for kharif crops has been picking up momentum across the country and as per Agriculture Ministry reports, paddy has been sown in 24.12 lakh hectares.
Rice output declined to 89.31 million tonnes in 2008-09 from the previous year’s 99.18 million tonnes due to the drought.
Monsoon had set in over Kerala on May 31 and formation of cyclone ‘Laila’ over the Bay of Bengal hastened its advance particularly in the north-east. Later, its progress was halted for almost a week due to formation of cyclone ‘Phet’ over the Arabian Sea.
On June 25, IMD revised its April forecast and pegged the quantum of rains for the country for June-September period at 102 per cent of the Long Period Average (LPA).