India: Monsoon Update
The first advance planted area estimates for 2016 indicate that a normal monsoon led to a marginal increase in overall Kharif season planting area. While the area seeded under pulses increased, there was an offset with an acreage reduction for cotton and sugarcane. According to the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), rainfall for the southwest monsoon was 97 percent of the long-period average (LPA) though reservoir storage levels gained ground over last year.
