Monsoon splashes into drought-hit states

NEW DELHI: India's monsoon rains were 31 percent above average in the week to Sepember 5, the weather office said on Thursday, the second straight week of heavier than normal rains, reducing the threat of a prolonged drought in the south Asian country.

The rains, vital for the 55 percent of Indian farmland without irrigation, are still 10 percent short of average so far and threaten cereal and pulses production as drought continues in some areas of west and south India.

But the severity of the drought has reduced as rainfall in these areas also picked up during the last fortnight.

In the previous week, rainfall across the country was 6 percent above average, as the monsoon revived in rice, cane and soybean areas of one of the world's leading food consumers and producers.

The revival has given the government a breathing space and it has now postponed a second drought summit to next week.

India, whose huge land mass contains nearly all climates and soil types, last faced widespread drought in 2009 when the June-to-September monsoon rains were 22 percent below average and it had to import sugar, pushing global prices to 30-year highs.