The India Meteorological Department predicts that the monsoon will arrive in Kerala and reach other parts of the country on time.
Mumbai: Madhavan Rajeevan, secretary of Ministry of Earth Sciences said that India Meteorological Department’s Extended Range Forecast suggests that monsoon will arrive in Kerala on time, around June 1. “This is an early indication. The official monsoon forecast and the rainfall forecast will be updated on May 15 and May 31, respectively.”
Farmers need to start their preparation of farming for the whole year one month prior to monsoon. Indian farmers are highly dependent on monsoon and their planning gets disturbed if monsoon gets delayed by some days Vithhal Tajane, a farmer from Mahad Raigad, said “We have started preparing for this year’s plantations. We have already cleaned our land and are now preparing it for next year’s plantation. We will grow rice over here which is highly dependent on water. We will start sowing seeds from May 25 as we are expecting the rain in one to two weeks after that. If monsoon is coming on time it will be really helpful for us to plan farming.”
The monsoon delivers about 70 percent of India’s annual rainfall and determines the yield of rice, wheat, sugarcane and oilseeds, such as soybeans. Farming makes up about 15 percent of India’s $2.5 trillion economy but employs more than half of its 1.3 billion people. A poor monsoon season weakens demand for FMCG products, tractors, two-wheelers, and rural housing. It also forces the government to spend on the food imports and measures like farm loan waivers.
Damodar Prasad, an agriculturalist said, “More than 80 crores of Indians are farmers and they are dependent on the monsoon. If the monsoon is on time it’s good for the agricultural sector and the economy. Farmers can start preparing for early crops plantation and it’s good news for them. It’s good for the state as well as for the overall economy of the country. Livelihood of the farmers and also other sectors like oil seeds and essential commodities sector will also be benefited indirectly due to timely monsoon. It’s good for the fishing sector and other manufacturing sectors. It’s better for the environment and animals also.”
