NEW DELHI, April 13 (Reuters) – India is likely to see below-average monsoon rains for the first time in three years in 2026, the government said on Monday, stoking concerns over farm output and growth in Asia’s third-largest economy as it battles inflation driven by the Iran war.
The monsoon, which typically arrives over the southern state of Kerala around June 1 and retreats by mid-September, is expected to reach 92% of the long-period average this year, M. Ravichandran, secretary in the Ministry of Earth Sciences, told a news conference.
The India Meteorological Department defines normal rainfall as between 96% and 104% of a 50-year average of 87 cm (35 inches) for the four-month season.
(Reporting by Mayank Bhardwaj; Writing by Rajendra Jadhav; Editing by YP Rajesh)
