NEW DELHI (Commodity Online): India’s annual monsoon is expected to withdraw from country’s Northwest regions by September 30, said Indian Meteorological Department. The late withdrawal would leave more moisture in the soil and more water reservoirs for the winter season.

Northwest regions are the biggest grain growing area in the country, where the annual monsoon rains were 34% down this year as against normal rains. For this, sugar cane, rice and other crops production being hurt in this season.

The onset and the withdrawal of monsoon are equally crucial for Indian crops as around 60% of the country’s farmlands are rain fed. While the onset signals the start of sowing of the summer crop, a late withdrawal would leave more moisture in the soil, more water in reservoirs, helping winter varieties such as wheat and oilseeds.

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The monsoon typically starts to recede from mid-September, but this year it has lingered after long dry spells between June and mid-August.

Rains are expected over central and south India Sept. 28-Sept. 30 due to low pressure building up over Bay of Bengal, it said. Rainfall is also likely over parts of the Northwest during the week ending September 30, the department said on its Web site.