Monsoon to hit Kerala by June 5

PRESS TRUST OF INDIA
Posted: Saturday, Jun 02, 2012
New Delhi: Monsoon, the lifeline of Indian agriculture, is most likely to hit Kerala by June 5 and there is no room for concern over sowing of kharif crops like paddy and pulses, a top IMD official said on Friday.

“Most likely, the southwest monsoon will reach Kerala by June 5,” India Meteorological Department (IMD) director general L S Rathore told PTI.

Asked if there is a delay in monsoon onset, he said, “There is no delay as such. We had forecast monsoon may hit Kerala on June 1 with a model error of plus/minus 4 days. This deviation of plus/minus four days is normal.”

Monsoon rains are crucial for agriculture as only 40% of the cultivable area is under irrigation. The farm sector contributes about only 15% to the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), but it employs about 60% of India’s population.

Rathore further said that the deviation of 3-4 days in arrival of monsoon rains would have no adverse impact on sowing of kharif (summer) crops. “There is no concern for paddy sowing because seedlings are raised first in nursery through irrigation and then transplanted in the field much later,” he said.

There would be no impact on cotton and sugarcane crops as these long-duration crops are mostly cultivated in areas with irrigation facilities.