The south-west monsoon has proved a damp squib and this has dented kharif output. The shortfall can still be made up in rabi, but only if post-monsoon rains oblige. The south-west monsoon is generally expected to begin around the beginning of June and recede by the end of September. The moisture-laden winds on reaching the southernmost point of the Indian Peninsula, which, due to its topography, become divided into two parts: the Arabian Sea Branch and the Bay of Bengal Branch.
