India Likely To Receive "Below Normal" Monsoon Rains In 2023: Skymet

India is likely to get "below normal" monsoon rains in 2023 with increasing possibility of El-Nino, which typically brings dry weather Asia, private weather forecasting agency Skymet said on Monday, reported Reuters.

According to the Reuters report, "Likelihood of El Nino is increasing and its probability to become a dominant category during the monsoon is growing large. El Nino return may presage a weaker monsoon," Jatin Singh, managing director, Skymet said in a statement.

Monsoon rains in India are expected to be 94% of the long-term average, said Skymet, retaining its previous view of sub-par monsoon. New Delhi defines average, or normal, rainfall as between 96% and 104% of a 50-year average of 88 centimetres (35 inches)for the four-month season beginning June, added the Reuters report.

The state-run India Meteorological Department is expected to announce its annual monsoon forecast soon.

Nearly half of India's farmland, which has no irrigation cover, depends on annual June-September rains to grow crops such as rice, corn, cane, cotton and soybeans, stated Reuters.