Monsoon rains cover half of India; to accelerate sowing

Indian monsoon rains have covered nearly half of the country, the weather department said on Monday, accelerating planting of summer crops like paddy rice, soybeans, cotton and pulses. The June to September monsoon is crucial for farm output and economic growth in India, where just over half of arable land is fed by rain. The sowing has been held up this year due to a delay in the arrival of monsoon rains, but now conditions are becoming favorable for further progress of the monsoon in central a