Odishatv Bureau
New Delhi: India`s summer monsoon is most likely to be normal for the second consecutive year, news that that could bring cheer to the largely farm-dependent economy.

"Monsoon rainfall for the country as a whole is most likely to be normal. There is very low probability for the seasonal rains to be deficient," Earth Sciences Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal told reporters here.

However, weather scientists said that some pockets of the country, particularly the food bowl northwestern region could experience deficit rains.

Quantitatively, the monsoon season rainfall is likely to be 98 per cent of the Long Period Average (LPA) with a model error of plus or minus five per cent, India Meteorological Department (IMD) Director General Ajit Tyagi said.

The LPA is the average rainfall over the past 50 years, which is 89 cm.

IMD considers rainfall within 96 per cent to 104 per cent of LPA as normal monsoon season.

The country witnessed a record foodgrain produce of over 235.88 million tonnes last year after a normal monsoon rainfall. India had witnessed severe drought conditions in 2009.

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