Monsoon rainfall was 21% below normal during the week ended June 27, that resulted in the season’s overall deficiency to narrow down to 35%.

However, the next 10 days’ rainfall will be crucial to lift the sowing activities which were down by 12% this season as on June 21 from the year-ago period.

The production of kharif crops will be the key to achieve record 291 million tonne foodgrains target in 2019-20 (July-June).

Timely rain is crucial for pulses and soyabean, which are grown mainly in Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra, officials said. Both these states have received scanty rainfall so far, with monsoon yet to cover entire Madhya Pradesh.

Groundnut and cotton are the other two crops which could see lower planting as Gujarat is yet to witness rains.

All these three states normally receive monsoon rainfall by June 15.

Agriculture sector has about 15% share in India’s $2.5-trillion economy, Asia’s third-biggest.

Monsoon rains arrived in Kerala on June 8, against normal onset on June 1.

Cyclone Vayu in the Arabian Sea further stalled monsoon progress as it drew moisture and weakened the progress.

The monsoon rainfall was 43% below normal during June 1-20.

The India Meteorological Department on Thursday said: “A low pressure area is very likely to form over north Bay of Bengal and neighbourhood around June 30.

“In association with this, conditions are likely to become favourable for further advance of the south-west monsoon into remaining parts of central India and some more parts of west and north-west regions during July 1-3.”

Active monsoon conditions resulting in widespread rainfall with isolated heavy to very heavy and extremely heavy falls are very likely over Meghalaya and widespread rainfall with isolated heavy/ very heavy falls over Assam, sub-Himalayan West Bengal and Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram and Tripura on Friday.

The rainfall activity is likely to reduce over these regions subsequently, IMD said.