Monsoon rains to hit southern Indian coast early, spurring crop planting

New Delhi: Monsoon rains ​are expected to hit India’s southern coast ‌on ​May 26, five days earlier than usual, the state-run weather office said on Friday, spurring hopes among farmers of early planting of crops such ⁠as rice, corn, soybean and sugarcane.The monsoon is likely to set in over the southern state of Kerala ‌on May 26, with a margin of error of four days, the ‌India Meteorological Department said in a ‌statement.Typically, the monsoon ends across ‌the country by mid-September ‌and always begins in Kerala.The monsoon is essential ​to India’s ‌nearly $4 trillion economy, ​delivering almost 70% of ⁠the rainfall needed to water farms and replenish aquifers and reservoirs.Last month, ​the ⁠India ⁠Meteorological Department forecast below-average monsoon rains in 2026 for the first time in ⁠three years, raising concerns over farm output and economic growth in Asia’s third-largest economy, which, like other countries, already faces higher inflation because of the Iran ‌war.The India Meteorological Department defines normal, or average, rainfall ​as between 96% and 104% of a 50-year average of 87 cm (35 inches) for the four-month season.