India experienced a 9% increase in rainfall compared to the average for July, as monsoon rains covered the entire country earlier than expected, leading to heavy precipitation in the central and southern states, according to data from the state meteorological department released on Wednesday.
A crucial driver of the nearly $3.5 trillion economy, monsoon rains provide almost 70% of the rainfall that India needs to irrigate crops and replenish reservoirs and aquifers.
Without irrigation, nearly half of the agricultural land in the world's second-largest producer of rice, wheat, and sugar relies on these annual rains, which typically occur from June to September.
In July, the southern and central regions of the country received nearly a third more rainfall than the average, while the eastern and northeastern regions experienced 23.3% less rainfall, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD). The northwest part of the country received 14.3% less rainfall than average.
The excess rain in July helped eliminate the 10.9% rainfall deficit from June, resulting in the country receiving 1.8% more rain since the monsoon season began on June 1.
The summer rains, vital for the economic growth of Asia's third-largest economy, usually commence in the south around June 1 and spread across the country by July 8. This allows farmers to plant crops such as rice, cotton, soybeans, and sugarcane.
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