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Kharif situation improves on monsoon revival

Surinder Sud in New Delhi

Though the monsoon still remains elusive in the northwestern region and deficient in many other parts of the country, the overall agricultural situation is reported to have improved perceptibly since the partial revival of rain late last week.

The main areas of concern now are the unirrigated tracts of Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Rajasthan and interior Karnataka.

According to the weather office, the overall deficiency of rainfall in the country as a whole so far is around 25 per cent. But this might grow to nearly 30 per cent by the time the next surge in monsoon precipitation begins from around July 26.

The India Meteorological Department expects the monsoon to cover the northern states, including Delhi, by July 29 though the coastal regions and the eastern states are likely to start getting good showers by July 27.

"The new weather system that has started building up over the Bay of Bengal is relatively more intense, having greater energy, compared to the earlier one that had led to a weak revival of the monsoon in many areas last week.

"This is expected to move westwards, bringing extensive rainfall in its wake in the eastern and northern states from July 27 onwards," a weather office spokesman told Business Standard.

He said so far only 14 of the country's total 36 meteorological sub-divisions, covering about 41 per cent of the districts, had received normal or above normal precipitation. The rest of the country remains deficient.

Over 50 per cent rainfall deficiency has been reported from the northwestern region comprising Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab and Rajasthan, which is still awaiting the monsoon.

But the bulk of the area in this region, especially in Punjab, Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh, has irrigation facilities. Besides, the water level in the Bhakra reservoir has remained satisfactory thanks to good rainfall in its catchment areas.

Consequently, the crop stand is reported to be normal in the irrigated areas in the northwest. But the rain-fed tracts of the region remain parched.

Between 20 and 50 per cent deficiency has been recorded in areas like western Madhya Pradesh, Orissa, Chhattisgarh, south-interior Karnataka and parts of Tamil Nadu.

However, many of these tracts received copious showers in the past few days, resuscitating the crops. The rest of the country has received, statistically, normal precipitation though there has been a prolonged break in rain in several pockets in this region as well.

"From the agricultural point of view, the situation is, by and large, not unmanageable as yet," farm experts feel. The crop loss would not be total even in areas that were yet to be covered by the monsoon, said Indian Council of Agricultural Research deputy director-general J S Samra.

"The worst affected crop is pearl millet, which could not be sown so far in many areas, especially in the rain-fed regions of Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana. However, if these areas get rain within about a week, the crop can still be planted," he added.

In case, rain is delayed beyond next week, alternative crops, such as mungbean, mothbean and clusterbean (guar) can be grown in the place of bajra. These crops take around 65 days to mature, against 80 days for bajra.

"In the worst scenario, where the rains are delayed beyond August 15, the farmers can grow sesame oilseed (til) or pearl millet fodder," Samra said.

He said in areas where the standing crop, including irrigated paddy, had been affected by the prolonged dry spell, the potential production loss could be reduced by increasing the fertiliser dose.

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