NEW DELHI: The southwest (summer) monsoon, which has so far reported a nationwide deficit of 15% in cumulative (June 1-Sept 19) rainfall, started withdrawing from west Rajasthan Saturday, as against the normal date of Sept 17, IMD has said.The line of withdrawal Saturday passed through Ramgarh, Mohangarh, Phalodi and Khajuwala. "Conditions are also favourable for further withdrawal from some more parts of Rajasthan and some parts of Punjab and Saurashtra and Kachchh over the next three-four days," said the Met department.The monsoon normally starts withdrawing from Sept 17 and the process ends on Oct 15 - a few days ahead of the onset of the winter monsoon in peninsular India.As many as 14 states, including Bihar, Punjab, Haryana and all five peninsular states, have reported a rain deficit of more than 20% so far. The current situation shows that the monsoon season is likely to end on Sept 30 with an overall deficit of more than 10% in the country as a whole - a level of rain deficiency which is considered a drought - even as the low pressure area and subsequent depression over east central Bay of Bengal may cause good rain in east India and coastal Odisha next week.

Although the sowing of kharif (summer-sown) crops has progressed well despite the El Nino-linked rain deficit, it does not mean the crop sector is out of danger as regional variations and the skewed timing of rainfall may impact overall yield and sowing during next crop (rabi) season. El Nino, a climatic phenomenon involving the warming of ocean surface temperatures in central and eastern equatorial Pacific, is invariably associated with a harsh summer and weak monsoon in India.

Acreage data Friday shows that though the overall sown area for all kharif crops has declined this year by just a little over 1%, water-intensive paddy - the most important seasonal crop that accounts for the most acreage - reported a decline of nearly 4% compared to the corresponding period last year.