India is likely to experience a normal monsoon for the second consecutive year, raising hopes for a good crop for millions of farmers across the country.

D. Sivananda Pai, Chief forecaster and Director of the National Climate Centre said in New Delhi that the La Nina phenomenon, marked by intense cooling of the equatorial and east Pacific Ocean, is expected to continue till June.

He said, such conditions are known to benefit the south-west monsoon. Mr Pai said as per current indicators, scientists do not foresee any immediate warming of the equatorial Pacific, a phenomenon that could affect the south-west monsoon.

Last year, the country saw a normal monsoon with 413 of the 597 meteorological districts receiving normal or above normal rainfall.