New Delhi, May 13 -- The Southwest monsoon advanced into some parts of south Bay of Bengal, south Andaman Sea, Nicobar Islands and some parts of north Andaman Sea on Tuesday, two days ahead of schedule, Mrutyunjay Mohapatra, director general of India Meterological Department (), said.

The normal date for the advancement of monsoon over the Andaman region is 15 May. The southwest monsoon is progressing as expected and is crucial to India's agrarian economy, as it delivers nearly 70% of the country' annual rainfall. Also, 51% of the country's net sowing area is dependent on monsoon rains. As per the ministry of agriculture & farmers' welfare data, the net sown area was 141 million hectares in 2021-22.

Also read: Cyclone 'Shakti': IMD says...