Monsoon deficit has come to define June. The rainfall deficit was 31% last week. Thanks to copious rains in some parts of the country in the past 3-4 days, the all-India deficit has now fallen to 23%. Although large States such as Maharashtra and Bihar have witnessed a worrying trend, the situation is not entirely hopeless.
Here is the report card for the month of June:
As per the SBI Monsoon Impact Index, States that produce cereals have received plenty of rainfall. This is good news.
By the end of this month, the monsoon deficit is expected to fall to 8%, something the IMD predicted at the start of the month.
The rain shortfall is at a whopping 46% in southern India, the worst affected being Kerala.
The deficit is at 35% in central India.
The deficit is 23% in eastern India, with Bihar being the most-affected large State.
This year, weak monsoons are expected to hit the agriculture economy. Since this is an election year, the Union Government and several States such as Madhya Pradesh will have to pull up the socks to contain food inflation.
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