India sees normal rainfall despite El Nino conditions
India received 'normal' rainfall during the four-month-long monsoon season despite El Nino conditions, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said on Saturday.
The country received 820 mm of rainfall against the long-period average (LPA) of 868.6 mm, or 94.4% of LPA, the agency said in its final summer rainfall season briefing.
Economists said while kharif sowing has been more than last year, the lesser acreage for pulses and oilseeds because of deficient August rain could cause inflationary pressure.
The country as a whole recorded 5.7% less rainfall compared to normal, said Mrutyunjay Mohapatra, Director General of Meteorology, IMD on Saturday. «The effect of El Nino was countered by other factors, and so it could not affect rainfall too much,» he added.
The IMD had forecast 96% rainfall with a model error of plus or minus 4% at the start of the monsoon season.
Higher rainfall in September made up some of the high deficit in August with 73% of sub-divisional areas recording normal rainfall and 18% recording deficient rainfall.
Economists said the record-high deficit in August will dent agriculture.
«Rains in September may not be adequate to offset the dry spell in August.
Yields may be impacted as a result. The year-on-year lag in sowing of crops like pulses and oilseeds is a concern for the food inflation outlook,» said Aditi Nayar, chief economist, ICRA.
The southwest monsoon seasonal rainfall over the monsoon core zone, which consists of most of the rain-fed agriculture regions in the country, received 101% of LPA and thus was normal, rainfall in June and August was deficient.
Seasonal rainfalls over Northwest India, Central India, Southern Peninsula, and Northeast (NE) India were 101%, 100%, 92%, and
