Monsoon now covers whole of Odisha

Bhubaneswar -  The southwest monsoon which moved into Odisha two days ago advanced rapidly and covered the entire state Tuesday, the weather office here said.

"The southwest monsoon has further advanced into remaining parts and covered the whole of the state today (Tuesday)," S.C. Sahu, director of the Metereological Centre at Bhubaneswar,  told IANS.

A good monsoon is crucial for the state, which has an agrarian economy with about 73 percent of the work force engaged in the agriculture sector. Odisha contributes about one-tenth of the  country's total rice production.

The monsoon normally reaches the state by June 10. However, this year it has arrived after a week's delay.