With the monsoon beginning to revive in most parts of the country, sowing activity is expected to resume in the next few days. This will end the uncertainty over the kharif prospects though a clear picture will emerge only after the completion of sowing by mid-August, agriculture experts feel.
A spokesman of the India Meteorological Department (IMD) today said the monsoon had started to revive. The low-pressure area over the northwest Bay of Bengal, which had heralded the strengthening of monsoon activity, has moved westwards towards Orissa, bringing copious rainfall in its wake in the region, including the rain-starved Orissa and Jharkhand.
After a normal beginning and a good initial surge, the southwest monsoon had turned weak towards the end of June, halting farm operations and generating fear about a possible drought. The overall monsoon precipitation has so far been deficient by 19 per cent in the northwestern region, 16 per cent in the peninsula and 12 per cent in northeast. However, thanks to the resumption of rains in less than three weeks, the spectre of drought is over, farm experts maintain.