The southwest monsoon has arrived simultaneously in Kerala and the northeastern states on Thursday, two days ahead of its expected date of June 1.

"Southwest monsoon has set in over Kerala and advanced into most parts of northeast India today, May 30, 2024," India Meteorological Department announced in a post on X.

IMD had said on Wednesday that conditions were rapidly becoming favourable for the onset of the southwest monsoon over Kerala within the next 24 hours. This was a day earlier than IMD’s first forecast for the onset of the monsoon on May 31.

The influence of Cyclone Remal is reported to have accelerated the onset of monsoon over the northeast as well.

Normally, the monsoon arrives in the northeastern states of Arunachal Pradesh, Tripura, Nagaland, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Manipur, and Assam on June 5.

The onset of the monsoon in Kerala marks the start of India's southwest monsoon season, which stretches from June to September, and accounts for over 70 per cent of the country’s annual rainfall.

The monsoon plays a key role in the Indian economy as close to 50 per cent of the country's farmland does not have any other source of irrigation. The monsoon rains are also crucial for recharging the country’s reservoirs and aquifers from which the water can be used later in the year to irrigate crops.

India has emerged as a key exporter of foodgrains but had to resort to curbing overseas shipments of sugar, rice, wheat and onions in order to increase domestic supplies and keep prices in check due to the erratic monsoon last year which hit farm production. A robust growth in the farm sector helps to keep inflation in check.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) defines average or normal rainfall as between 96 per cent and 104 per cent of a 50-year average of 87 cm (35 inches) for the June-Sept season.

Apart from supplying food, the farm sector also plays a key role in providing a demand for industrial goods such as two-wheelers, fridges and fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG). An increase in agricultural production and incomes, therefore, apart from contributing directly to GDP growth also leads to an increase in industrial growth.

--IANS