Monsoon rains come early Indian crop production expected to be boosted

After a severe heat wave hit India's wheat production expectations and prompted the country to limit wheat exports, India's monsoon rains came earlier than usual this year, which is expected to give a boost to crop production such as rice and oilseeds.

India's southwest monsoon has landed three days early in the country's southwestern state of Kerala, according to the Indian Meteorological Department on Sunday. From the experience of previous years, the monsoon usually arrives in the state on June 1.

As the world's second most populous country, about 60 percent of India's population relies on agriculture as its main source of income, and agriculture contributes 18 percent of the country's GDP. And Indian agriculture is highly dependent on natural conditions such as climate and rainfall, with more than half of the farmland irrigated by monsoon rains, while man-made systems such as canals and tubewells irrigate only part of the land.

The early onset of the monsoon rains and the amount of rainfall are directly related to temperature changes and local agricultural harvests, and are critical to India's agricultural output and economic growth.

Timely rains after the heat wave

India is expected to have a normal rainy season this year for the fourth consecutive year. The monsoon rains, which last from June through September, will bring a respite, especially in the central and northwestern regions, where temperatures hovered near 50 degrees Celsius in some places this month and the risk of heatstroke forced people to stay indoors.