INDIA is likely to receive normal monsoon rains this year, the state-run weather office said on Thursday (14), raising prospects of higher farm and general growth in Asia's third-biggest economy.
The rains, which usually lash the southern tip of Kerala state around June 1 and retreat by September, are expected to be 99 per cent of the long-term average this year, the India Meteorological Department said in a statement.
New Delhi defines average, or normal, rainfall as ranging between 96 per cent and 104 per cent of a 50-year average of 87 cm (35 inches)for the four-month season beginning in June.
"The encouraging forecast of a normal monsoon in 2022, coupled with healthy reservoir levels in all regions, augurs well for a timely onset of summer crop sowing," said Aditi Nayar, chief economist at rating agency ICRA, the Indian arm of Moody's.
FILE PHOTO: Commuters drive along a road during a heavy monsoon rainfall in Chennai on November 11, 2021. (Photo by ARUN SANKAR/AFP via Getty Images)
The monsoon is crucial for the $2.7-trillion economy, as it brings nearly 75 per cent of the rain needed by farms, besides replenishing reservoirs and aquifers.
Nearly half of India's farmland gets no irrigation and is dependent on the annual rains from June to September. Farming accounts for nearly 15 per cent of the economy but sustains more than half of a population of 1.3 billion.
Key cotton, soybean and sugarcane growing regions in northern parts of peninsular India, central India, the foothills of the Himalayas and some northwestern areas are likely to get normal to above normal seasonal rainfall, the IMD said.
Tea, rubber and rice-growing regions in northeast India and southern parts of the peninsula could receive rainfall that is below normal, it added.
India is the world's biggest producer of cotton and pulses and the second-biggest producer of sugar, wheat and rice. It is also the world's biggest importer of edible oils such as palm and soy.
A normal monsoon will help India maintain rice exports and cut imports of edible oil in the next season, a Mumbai-based dealer with a global trading firm said.
(Reuters)
Clifford had previously pleaded guilty to the murders of BBC sports commentator John Hunt’s wife and two daughters at their home in northwest of London, in July 2024. (Photo: Hertfordshire Police /Handout via REUTERS)
Crossbow murderer found guilty of raping ex-girlfriend
A 26-YEAR-OLD man who murdered three women in a crossbow and stabbing attack has been found guilty of raping one of them, his ex-girlfriend, a British court ruled on Thursday.
Kyle Clifford had previously pleaded guilty to the murders of BBC sports commentator John Hunt’s wife and two daughters at their home in Bushey, northwest of London, in July 2024.
The attack led to a manhunt before Clifford was found injured hours later in a north London cemetery.
A jury at Cambridge Crown Court on Thursday convicted Clifford of raping 25-year-old Louise Hunt before killing her.
His sentencing for all the crimes is scheduled for Tuesday.
Clifford had admitted to murdering Carol Hunt, 61, and her daughters Louise and Hannah, 28. He had also pleaded guilty to charges of false imprisonment and possessing offensive weapons but denied raping Louise.
During the trial, the court heard that after killing Carol Hunt, Clifford waited for an hour before attacking Louise, tying her up, raping her, and then killing her with a crossbow. He later killed Hannah when she returned home from work.
The prosecution described Clifford, a former soldier, as committing a "violent, sexual act of spite" and said he was "enraged" after Louise ended their 18-month relationship. They told the court that he had "carefully planned" the attack.
Less than 24 hours before the killings, Clifford had searched for a podcast by social media influencer Andrew Tate, according to the prosecution. They argued that the murders were driven by the "violent misogyny promoted" by Tate.
Justice Joel Bennathan called Clifford’s crimes "dreadful" and "almost unspeakable".
(With inputs from AFP)