After the sizzling summer, the much awaited monsoon season is expected to hit the state of Kerala right in time on June 1, 2012. The beginning of the monsoon will set a stage for the annual rainfall in the country which is basically agri-based.
The India Meteorological Department announced on May 15, 2012, “The date of onset of southwest monsoon over Kerala is likely to be on June 1 with a model error of four days”. The monsoon is all set to hit the south Andaman Sea, which normally begins around May 20.
The seasonal rains then make a steady progress towards the mainland. The rains first hit the coast of Kerala and brings immense joy to the farmers longing for the rain.
The weather office said, “The monsoon is likely to advance over Andaman Sea slightly later than its normal date but well within one standard deviation”. Last month it was predicted that India would have a normal monsoon for the third consecutive year. In India monsoon is crucial for the Kharif crops like rice, cotton, soyabean and maize as almost 60 percent of the crops in the country is rainfed. In the year 2011-12 India is estimated to have harvested a record 252.56 million tonnes of food grains.
