Rain deficit areas to recover in 8-10 days: MET

Dr Ajit Tyagi , Director General, MET Department , said except for the interior parts like Marathawada, Madhya Maharashtra, north interior Karnataka and Kerala, the rest of the country is having well distributed rainfall which will result in better output. "Out of 37 sub-divisions, seven divisions are below normal. All other sub-divisions are near normal."

He said the areas facing rain deficit are is likely to recover in the next 8-10 days.

Excerpts from CNBC-TV18's exclusive interview with Ajit Tyagi:

Q: How have the monsoons performed on an average basis?

A: The monsoon is again picking up after weaker spells of the last 5-10 days. Overall, monsoons have been near normal. It is 3% short but is likely to catch up in the next 10-15 days. Out of 37 sub-divisions, seven divisions are below normal. The remaining sub-divisions are near normal.

Q: Of the seven divisions, which one has received deficient rainfall? Which crops could have been affected?

A: During mid-July, the interior parts of the Peninsula particularly Marathawada, north Karnataka, Madhya Maharashtra, Vidarbha, and Kerala are places facing deficit in rainfall. Many areas have made up significantly but Marathawada, Kerala and coastal Karnataka are still facing deficit rainfall. Some parts of Western Madhya Pradesh are also facing some stress. But in the next 10 days as the monsoon picks up again, we expect it to recover in these places to a great extent.

Q: How would you rate rainfall in areas under cultivation?

A: The rice belt which stretches from Punjab, Haryana, up to West Bengal has been doing exceedingly well right from the start of the season. But western Madhya Pradesh and parts of Maharashtra, where soyabean is cultivated, may be under stress. We expect the current spell of rain to make up. Punjab, Gujarat, and Andhra Pradesh is doing okay. The pulses crop, which is grown in Karnataka and parts of Maharashtra, may see some stress. Whatever the deficit, we expect to make up in the next 8-10 days. The entire Peninsula and central parts of the country will receive good rains in the coming days.

Q: What about regions which have got excess rainfall, other than Bihar, where crops might have been affected?

A: The floods were not caused by very heavy rainfall. These are flood prone areas which have been affected. Bihar, parts of Punjab, and the plains of Brahmaputra are the three places where floods have affected crops. But the rest of the country has had a good spell of rain this year with some breaks. For the cropping pattern that was the right mix.

Q: Overall, would you at this stage say that rainfall has been more or less okay compared to last year?

A: Last year, India received excess rainfall while many areas were under excess rainfall. This year, it is well distributed both in space and time. Except for the interior parts like Marathawada, Madhya Maharashtra, north interior Karnataka and Kerala to some extent, the rest of the country is having a well distributed rainfall which will result in better output.