India's economic growth hurt by lack of rain

[FarCenter]

On Thursday, the weather office said the monsoon rains were likely to be "15 percent deficient" -- bad news for farmers with over half of India's arable land lacking irrigation.

If the rains do not improve, 2012 may turn out to be another drought year in India, which is one of the world's biggest consumers and producers of food with its population of 1.2 billion, experts say.

A drought is declared if rainfall is below 90 percent of average annual levels. The monsoon so far has been more than 20 percent below average.

In 2009, India was hit by its worst drought in nearly four decades. The country also suffered a drought in 2002.

http://www.france24.com/en/20120804-indias-economic-growth-hurt-lack-rain

[Speck Tater]

1. Economists fail to realize: The economy is PART of the ecology.

Without Mother Nature's cooperation there is no economy.

Nature bats last.