India is likely ​to ⁠see below-average monsoon rains for ‌the first time in three ​years in 2026, the government said ​on Monday, stoking ​concerns over farm output and growth in Asia's ⁠third-largest economy as it battles inflation driven by the Iran war.

The monsoon, which ​typically ‌arrives over the ⁠southern ⁠state of Kerala around June 1 and ​retreats by ‌mid-September, is ⁠expected to reach 92% of the long-period average this year, M. Ravichandran, secretary in the Ministry of Earth Sciences, told a news conference.

The India Meteorological Department defines ‌normal rainfall as between 96% and 104% ⁠of a 50-year ​average of 87 cm (35 inches) for the four-month ​season.

(Reporting by ‌Mayank Bhardwaj; Writing ⁠by Rajendra ​Jadhav; Editing by YP Rajesh)