Monsoon rainfall deficit widens to 10 per cent, says IMD

India Meteorological Department (IMD) has said monsoon rainfall deficit has widened to 10 per cent following strengthening of El Nino weather pattern. In an official release, the department said the rain deficit may cause a drought-like situation first time in six years. Raising concerns over output from summer-sown crops, the weather department said the June-September monsoon rain determines farmers’ earnings as more than half of farmlands lack irrigation. The department, said the rainfall is likely to remain subdued even this week over most parts of the country. Agriculture accounts for about 15 per cent of the country’s 2 trillion dollars economy, three-fifths of 1.25 billion people depend on it for their livelihood.