India's monsoon rains 6 percent above average in past week: weather office
NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Monsoon rains in India were 6 percent above average in the week ended Aug. 3, the weather office said on Thursday.
The weather office has retained its forecast for an above-average monsoon this year, boosting hopes of a rise in farm output and income after two years of drought.
An average or normal monsoon means rainfall between 96 and 104 percent of a 50-year average of 89 centimeters.
The June-September monsoon is crucial for India's rain-fed farm sector that accounts for nearly 15 percent of its $2 trillion economy.
Farmers plant crops such as rice, soybeans, cotton and pulses in the summer-sowing season that starts in June.
(Reporting by Sankalp Phartiyal; editing by Susan Thomas)
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