India just wrapped up its rainiest monsoon in 5 years
India just wrapped up its rainiest monsoon in five years, with rainfall coming in 8% above normal between June and September.
The total—937.2mm—makes this the fifth-wettest monsoon since 2001.
The rains started early too, reaching Kerala by May 24 and spreading nationwide almost nine days ahead of schedule.
Farmers rejoice as food inflation dips
This extra rain has been a win for farmers, especially in major crop regions that got 122% of their usual rainfall.
Thanks to the boost, there's been more sowing of rice, pulses, and sugarcane, which helped lower food inflation by 0.7% in August and led to relaxed export rules on wheat and sugar.
A few states missed out on the rains
While most areas saw plenty of rain—10% had large surpluses and nearly half got normal amounts—a few states like Arunachal Pradesh, Assam & Meghalaya, and Bihar missed out, reporting less than average rainfall over about 9% of the country.