)
Monsoon rains were a quarter below average in the week to Sept. 17, the weather office said on Thursday, ahead of a delayed retreat of the rains expected from this weekend.
A week earlier, rainfalls were 64% above average, the heaviest for the June-September monsoon season.
On Wednesday, a senior weather official said the monsoon season was set to enter withdrawal phase by the weekend after a late surge had delayed the retreat by a fortnight, boosting output prospects for summer sown crops.
