A cyclone in Bay of Bengal is unlikely to impact the progress of India's monsoon rains, expected to arrive on May 30, the country's top weather official said on Tuesday.

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A depression formed in the Bay of Bengal is getting intensified, and India had issued a cyclone alert at ports in the eastern parts of the country on Monday.

"The cyclone may lead to heavy rainfall in the eastern region. I do not see its impact on monsoon," Ajit Tyagi, director general of the India Meteorological Department, told Reuters.

He said the weather office stood by its forecast of monsoon arriving in Kerala by end May.

"So far, we stick to our earlier forecast. We are constantly reviewing it," Tyagi said.

Earth sciences minister Prithviraj Chavan on Friday forecast monsoon clouds would touch Kerala on May 30, two days before the normal date.

Good monsoon rains will help the country boost output of crops such as rice, corn, cotton and soybean after last year's poor rains in nearly four decades hit farm output, pushing up prices.

High inflation led to severe criticism of the government, which has dropped import tax on sugar, wheat and vegetable oils to bolster supplies.

India's keenly watched wholesale price index rose an annual 9.59% in April, while the food price index jumped 16.44% in the year to May 1.