Monsoon rains lash India's Kerala coast earlier than expected

NEW DELHI • India's annual monsoon, which delivers about 70 per cent of the country's rainfall, arrived on the coast of southern Kerala state yesterday, the state-run India Meteorological Department said, two days ahead of the usual time.

One of the world's biggest producers and consumers of farm goods, India relies on monsoon rains to water almost half its farmland, which lacks irrigation. A monsoon failure can force New Delhi to import more edible oils and curb exports of some agricultural produce, sending international prices higher.

Last month, the meteorological department forecast average monsoon rains for this year, raising the prospects of higher farm and overall economic growth.

The department declares the arrival of monsoon rains only after parameters measuring the consistency of rainfall over a defined geography, intensity, cloudiness and wind speed are satisfied.

It defines average, or normal, rainfall as ranging between 96 per cent and 104 per cent of a 50-year average of 87cm for the season beginning next month.

Farming contributes around 15 per cent to India's US$2.7 trillion (S$3.7 trillion) economy while sustaining more than half the population of 1.3 billion.

Other than watering farms and recharging aquifers and reservoirs, regular rains during the monsoon season can bring relief from the searing heat.

Plentiful monsoon rains would boost rice output from India, the world's biggest exporter of the staple. India's surprise decision to ban wheat exports had raised doubts about some curbs on the overseas sales of rice as well.

Government and industry officials had said that India did not plan to curb rice exports as the country has sufficient stocks and prices were stable.

REUTERS