Weather Office Sees Monsoon Rains At Average Levels In 2017

New Delhi: India's crucial monsoon rains are expected to be average in 2017, a senior official at the weather office said on Tuesday, easing concerns over farm and economic growth in the world's leading producer of an array of farm goods. Monsoon rains in 2017 would be 96 per cent of a long-term average, K J Ramesh, director general of the state-run India Meteorological Department, told a news conference.

The IMD defines average, or normal, rainfall as between 96 per cent and 104 per cent of a 50-year average of 89 cm for the entire four-month season beginning June.