The southwest monsoon, a lifeline to millions of farmers of the country, on Saturday set in over Kerala [Images], two days late than earlier forecast. The monsoon has set in over Kerala, IMD Director B P Yadav said.

The IMD had earlier forecast that the southwest monsoon would hit the Kerala coast on May 29, four days ahead of its normal June 1 onset. The onset of monsoon is one activity which is important as it signals the arrival of rains over a major landmass.

Sufficient monsoon rains will help in a bountiful harvest of rice, soybean and groundnut crops and help the government tackle the steep increase in inflation, which has touched 8.1 per cent.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh [Images] had said that if the country receives normal monsoon rains, it would moderate the rise in prices. The IMD had announced the annual seasonal rains set in over the Andaman Seas on May 10, five days in advance. Since 2005, IMD has been issuing operational forecasts for monsoon onset over Kerala using statistical techniques.