The government today said that situation due to some delay in monsoon is not worrisome and rainfall will be better from next week onwards. Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar said that the Met Department has informed that the monsoon will pick up during the month of July and August, which will have 70 per cent of rains of over all 96 per cent rainfall, which has been predicted by it. Talking to media persons in New Delhi, Mr Pawar admitted that early sowing has been affected in certain states including Maharashtra Madhya Pradesh and some parts of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar due to delay in monsoon. He said, there is report of 31 per cent of rain deficiency up to the 2nd of this month in the whole of the country.

The Minister said, government is ready with contingency plans to deal with the problem of delayed monsoon. He said that his Ministry is keeping an eye on the development of South-West monsoon. Mr. Pawar said, states have been provided good quantity and quality of seeds to distribute them to the farmers as it is also an opportunity to sow alternative crops like pulses and oilseeds.
The Agriculture Minister asserted that there is enough food stock in the country. He said 501 lakh metric ton of wheat, 321.48 lakh metric tons of rice are available and government is ready to supply as much as quantity to States if any such situation arises.