NEW DELHI, April 16 -- India will likely report normal rainfall in the June-to-September monsoon, a private forecaster said, spelling good news for farmers, consumer demand and the economy.
Skymet on Tuesday, 13 April, forecast that the monsoon rain is likely to be 103% of the 50-year average. The prediction has an error margin of 5%, it said.
Normal rain will boost crop production in India, where farmers mainly depend on the monsoon to irrigate their fields.
More money in the hands of farmers will, in turn, boost rural demand even as the second wave of the pandemic hurts consumption in urban centres. Bountiful rain will also likely cool food prices at a time inflation is accelerating.
"The occurrence of El Nino (a weather phenomenon), ...