Monsoon to improve this week - farm min

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Monsoon rains are expected to to improve this week, and if the forecast turns out to be accurate there would be no cause for concern despite below-normal rains so far this season, farm minister Sharad Pawar said.

However, he did not rule out a fall in productivity in northwestern India, although the damage would not be severe as the region has better irrigation facilities than other parts of India.

India, which depends heavily on monsoon rains, saw the driest June in 83 years, after which rains improved but were still 8 percent below normal in the first week of July, a concern in a country where two-thirds of the people live in villages.