FILE PHOTO: A man rows his boat in the tributary waters of Vembanad Lake against the backdrop of pre-monsoon clouds on the outskirts of Kochi, India, June 7, 2019. REUTERS/Sivaram V
MUMBAI/NEW DELHI (Reuters) – India is likely to receive 102% rainfall of a long-term average this year, the state-run weather office said on Monday, raising expectations for higher farm output in Asia’s third-biggest economy, which is reeling from the new coronavirus pandemic.
In July India could receive 103% rainfall of its long-term average and 97% in August, M. Rajeevan, secretary at the Ministry of Earth Sciences, told a news conference.
The IMD defines average, or normal, rainfall as between 96%and 104% of a 50-year average of 88 centimetres for the entire four-month season beginning in June.
Reporting by Rajendra Jadhav and Mayank Bhardwaj; editing by Gareth Jones
