NEW DELHI: India, hit by a devastating drought last year that hurt economic growth, is expected to experience a below normal monsoon this year but no drought is forecast, the weather office said on Wednesday.

"It (the monsoon) is expected to be 96 per cent of the long-period average which falls into the below normal category," RR Kelkar, director general of the India Meteorological Department told a news conference. "The drought parameter is below 90 per cent."

Last year, India suffered its worst drought in 15 years, a factor that pushed economic growth down in 2002-03 to 4.4 per cent from 5.6 per cent the previous year. A good monsoon is vital to the economy as agriculture contributes around 25 per cent to GDP.

REUTERS[ WEDNESDAY, APRIL 16, 2003 04:05:28 PM ]