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Monsoon recovers but eludes northwest

India's crucial monsoon rains have recovered after a weak phase in the oilseed-growing western regions but remain subdued in the northwestern rice-bowl, weather officials said on Monday.

The June-September southwest monsoon rains are vital for agriculture which accounts for 25 per cent of the country's gross domestic product and provides employment to 70 per cent of its one billion people.

The monsoon set over Kerala in early June and moved up to the western parts of the country but its progress in northwestern India has been erratic.

The western states received a second spell of rains only late last week, a fortnight behind schedule.

Concerned by the long dry spell, Agriculture Minister Ajit Singh has convened a meeting on Wednesday of agriculture ministers of 11 states which have received inadequate rains.

A ministry statement said most of the northern and northwestern states, the central state of Madhya Pradesh, western Maharashtra and southern states of Karnatka, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, have been invited to the meeting.

"Generally, rainfall is active in the eastern parts, Madhya Pradesh and western coast, but rains are subdued in northwest," a senior official of the India Meteorological Department told Reuters.

Central Madhya Pradesh, accounts for nearly 70 per cent of the country's total soybean output, western Gujarat grows groundnut. Maharashtra cultivates both soybean and groundnut.

Weather officials said these regions, have received a second spell of rains after a weak phase in the first half of July, helping sowing operations and the crops.

DEFICIENT NORTHWEST

The northwestern states of Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Delhi had some rains at the weekend after a low pressure area over the Bay of Bengal moved inland.

But rains in most of the region, which grows rice, coarse grains and some cereals have been inadequate raising concerns about the crop.

There are no fears of grain shortage in India which is sitting on mountains of wheat and rice. The country's grain stocks reached 65 million tonnes as of May 31, much higher than required buffer stock levels. India is short of edible oils and is the world's largest importer.

The IMD in its outlook for the current week said rainfall activity was likely to be subdued over most parts of northwestern India.

In the week ended July 17, monsoon activity was subdued over most parts of the country, it said. Out of 36 meteorological sub-divisions, 32 had deficient, scanty or no rains.

During the monsoon season between June 1 and July 17, out of the 36 sub-divisions rainfall was deficient or scanty in 22 and normal in the remaining divisions, it said.

Last week, the agriculture ministry said it was worried about the erratic progress of the monsoon rains and its adverse impact on crops such as oilseeds, coarse cereals and pulses.

The IMD said in May that the 2002 monsoon was expected to be normal, making it the 14th successive normal monsoon season. It defines a monsoon as normal if overall rainfall is 10 per cent above or below the long-term average.

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