NEW DELHI, July 9 -- The southwest monsoon has finally swept across the entire country, reaching full coverage on Wednesday-one day later than its normal completion date-after a season marked by a delayed onset and uneven rainfall that has slowed kharif sowing.

The monsoon covered the entire country on 9 July, a day later than the normal date of 8 July, after making landfall over the Kerala coast on 4 June, three days behind schedule.

According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the monsoon completed its nationwide advance on 9 July, compared with 27 June last year. The last time the monsoon took longer to cover the country after its onset over Kerala was in 2021, when it reached the Kerala coast on 3 June and covered the ent...