Monsoon seen retreating late, June deficiency to narrow: Weather office

New Delhi: Monsoon is likely to withdraw from India later than usual this year, with a vigorous spell of rains towards the tail end of the season that typically ends in September, the chief of the weather office said on Friday.

The deficiency in June rains will also narrow in the days the come, Laxman Singh Rathore told Reuters in an interview.

"There is a strong possibility that the terminal phase will be wetter and the withdrawal will be later than normal," Rathore said.

Monsoon rains, vital for India`s farm-dependent economy and its 1.3 billion people, arrive at the southern coast of Kerala state by June 1 and start retreating by September from Rajasthan.