India faces impending drought: PM

8220;We are staring at the prospect of an impending drought,8221; Singh told a meeting of environment ministers of Indian states.

Monsoon rains have revived in the past few days,particularly in Uttar Pradesh,where the local government has declared a drought in the majority of the districts.

The weather office has forecast widespread rains in the key cane-growing areas in north and northwest India as well as the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh,the main soybean-growing region.

India8217;s farm minister,Sharad Pawar,said on Monday that the country needed to raise planting of winter-sown crops and improve irrigation to make up for the damage to farms.

Monsoon rains are vital for India8217;s summer-sown crops such as rice,sugarcane and soybeans because the majority of the farmers do not have access to irrigation facilities.