India to see above average July rains after wetter than normal June

MUMBAI – India is likely to get above-average monsoon rainfall, critical to the economy, in July after receiving 9 per cent above-normal rains in June, a senior weather department official said on June 30.

The monsoon is the lifeblood of India’s nearly US$4 trillion (S$5.1 trillion) economy, delivering almost 70 per cent of the rainfall needed to water farms and replenishing aquifers and reservoirs.

Nearly half of India’s farmland is not irrigated and depends on the annual June to September rains for crop growth.

All regions, except north-eastern states and the southern states of Tamil Nadu and Kerala, are likely to receive rainfall equating to more than 106 per cent of the 50-year average in July, Dr Mrutyunjay Mohapatra, director-general of the India Meteorological Department (IMD),told a virtual news conference.

Soya bean and cotton-growing states such as Maharashtra, Gujarat, and Madhya Pradesh are likely to receive above-average rainfall, as are rice-growing northern and most eastern states, according to Mr Mohapatra.

India received 9 per cent more rainfall than the long-period average for June, as the monsoon covered the entire country nine days ahead of its normal schedule.

Farmers usually start planting summer-sown crops such as rice, corn, cotton, soya beans and sugarcane after the arrival of monsoon rains.

The early arrival of monsoon and above-average rainfall has accelerated planting of summer-sown crops, farm ministry data showed on June 30.

Farmers had planted 26.2 million ha with summer-sown crops by June 30, up 11.3 per cent on the same period in 2024.

Rice was planted on 3.5 million ha, larger than 2024’s 2.4 million ha. Farmers had planted another 4.9 million ha with oilseeds, including soya beans, up from 4 million ha a year ago.

Planting will gain further momentum in the coming weeks as recent rainfall has improved soil