India's annual monsoon rains covered the entire country on Sunday, nine days earlier than is typical, the weather department said, bringing forward planting of summer-sown crops.The monsoon is the lifeblood of India's nearly $4 trillion economy, delivering almost 70% of the rainfall needed to water farms and replenishing aquifers and reservoirs.Nearly half of India's farmland is not irrigated and depends on the annual June-September rains for crop growth.The southwest monsoon has further advanced into the remaining northwestern parts of the country, effectively covering the entire country nine days ahead of schedule, the India Meteorological Department said in a statement.
