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Intermittent rains lessen drought impact

Intermittent rains that covered wider areas in north-west and central India have brightened the prospects of late sowing of kharif crops, limiting production loss because of drought to less than 10 per cent, agriculture ministry officals say.

Sowing of millet and late varieties of bajra and cluster-beans have picked up in Rajasthan and Haryana and pulses and oilseeds like seasame and castor in Madhya Pradesh, Chhatisgarh and some parts of Maharashtra.

Besides this, delayed cultivation of bajra and cluster-bean will produce good fodder for cattle and will dispense away with the requirement of setting up 'fodder camps' in critically affected areas of Rajasthan, western Uttar Pradesh and some parts of Madhya Pradesh and Chhatisgarh.

In irrigated areas of Punjab, Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh, showers have relieved irrigation network from extra load of drawing excessive ground water by tubewells to water the withering paddy fields. The consumption of power and diesel have also come down, reports said.

As the National Crop Forecasting Centre in the union agriculture ministry has forecast intermittent rains in the 3-4 days in drought affected states, sowing of kharif crops would cover the large vacant tracts of land.

Agriculture ministry officials have advised the farmers to cultivate short-term varieties of oilseeds, pulses and millet. However, they admit that yield of these crops would be comparatively less.

Earlier with the timely onset of south-west monsoon in May, the ministry estimated total foodgrain production at 110 million tonnes which could come down to 100 million tonnes, the officials said.

Official reports said till July 31, 12 drought affected states covering major parts of the country received 30 per cent deficient rains.The water in 70 important reservoirs of the country is about 18 per cent of Full Reservoir Level and 45 per cent of the last year's level.

UNI

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