India to forecast likely El Nino effect on monsoon in April - minister

NEW DELHI, Feb 26. - The Indian weather office willgive its outlook on the likely impact of El Nino on the monsoonin mid-April, but the impact of the weather pattern is unlikelyto be as severe as 2009, Farm Minister Sharad Pawar toldreporters on Wednesday. In 2009, the worst drought in nearly four decades ravagedfarms in India, one of the world''s leading producers of an arrayof farm commodities, forcing the country to import largequantities of sugar and hoisting global prices to a record high. Indian farmers depend heavily on the annual June-Septembermonsoon rains, as 55 percent of farmland does not haveirrigation facilities. Australia''s Bureau of Meteorology and the U.S. ClimatePrediction Center have warned of increased chances of the returnof the El Nino weather pattern that can trigger drought, hitting production of key foods such as rice, wheat and sugar.