The Monsoon in the country is expected to be deficient this season. The Met Department today revised its forecast from 93 per cent to 88 per cent with north-west region of the country expected to be hit the most. In April, the department had forecast that monsoon rains would be 93 percent of the average, which is categorized as below normal. Announcing this at a function in Noida, Science and Technology Minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan said North-West region which includes Delhi NCR, Haryana, Western Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan will be affected by the deficiency in rainfall. He said in the last Cabinet meeting, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had asked different ministries and departments to gear up for such an exigency. The projection of low rainfall, which may be attributed to the El-Nino phenomena, is likely to trigger fears about drought situation in some parts of the country.
The timely onset of the monsoon is crucial for sowing of kharif crops such as paddy and a deficit in rainfall may hit the rice production. Agriculture in the country is heavily dependent on the monsoon as only 40 per cent of the cultivable area is under irrigation. Last year, the country had received 12 per cent less rains, which hit production of grains, cotton and oilseeds.