MUMBAI, July 2 (Reuters) - India's annual monsoon covered the entire country on Sunday, six days earlier than usual, the state-run weather office said, but rain totals are 10% below average so far this season.
The monsoon, the lifeblood of India's $3 trillion economy, delivers much needed water to farms and restocks reservoirs and aquifers.
In a typical year, rains usually lash Kerala state, on India's southwest coast, from around June 1 and move northwards to cover the entire country by July 8.
However, the monsoon made quick progress this week and has now covered the entire country, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.
Bountiful monsoon rains in July would ease concerns about the output of summer crops, promising higher incomes in the countryside where most Indians live.
Persons:
Rajendra Jadhav, Elaine Hardcastle
Organizations:
India Meteorological Department, El, IMD, Thomson
Locations:
MUMBAI, Kerala, India's, India