India and other South Asian nations should avoid widespread drought this year, which could help hold the line on global food prices
KATHMANDU, April 19 (Reuters) - India and its south Asian neighbours are set to avoid widespread drought for a fourth straight year in 2013, a global weather forum said on Friday, raising the prospect of more bumper grains supplies from the region to keep a lid on global food prices.
"This year's monsoon, as a whole, is most likely to be within the normal range," said D.S. Pai, the lead forecaster of the Indian weather office, releasing the consensus forecast of the South Asian Climate Outlook Forum, a group of global weather experts.
Monsoon rains are vital for the 55 percent of India's farmland which does not have irrigation facilities and can make the difference between the country being an exporter or importer of staples such as rice and sugar.
Agriculture is an important part of Asia's third-largest economy, accounting for about 15 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) in a country where more than 800 million people live in rural areas. Ample harvests can also help keep a lid on inflation, which is nearly nine percent.
In March, Pai told Reuters that India was set for average rains in 2013, suggesting a fourth straight year without any widespread drought. (Reporting by Gopal Sharma; Writing by Ratnajyoti Dutta; Editing by Jo Winterbottom and Clarence Fernandez)
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