Pursuits
Monsoon Defies El Nino Forecasts Answering Prayers of Indian Farmers
India Monsoon Agriculture
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Indian rice farmer Bhabani Shankar Panda credits the rain gods for proving weather forecasters wrong this year.
His prayers for plentiful showers have been answered, defying official forecasts for El Nino to cause the first back-to-back shortfall in the monsoon in three decades. While wet weather early in the season meant farmers increased crop sowing, prospects dimmed as rainfall tapered off earlier this month.