30 MAY, 2012, 1SUTANUKA GHOSAL, ET BUREAU
KOLKATA: A prolonged dry spell in most parts of India is hurting the sowing schedule for paddy, a major kharif crop, raising the country's anxiety about monsoon rains, as parched fields urgently need moisture to plant crops.
The weather office has forecast normal rainfall in the June-September monsoon, but showers in the months before the rainy season are vital for soil moisture required to raise paddy nurseries and subsequently to sow the crop in fields. Since the beginning of March till May 23, rainfall has been 24% below normal, deteriorating from a cumulative deficit of 19% a week ago, weather office data showed.
The risk of late planting, which can affect yields and delay the next crop too, is higher in rain-fed regions, which account for about 55% of the 184 million hectares of arable land in India. "For paddy, the soil moisture content should be 20-25%. Below soil moisture content of 15%, paddy starts wilting. Paddy requires a lot of water and soil moisture content is critical for cultivation," said Mukund Wariar, officer-in-charge at the Central Rainfed Upland Rice Research Station in Jharkhand.
Moisture level is estimated to have dropped to 10% in some parts of the country, according to some estimates. The water level in reservoirs has also dipped below last year's level.
Data from the Central Water Commission shows India's 84 main reservoirs are filled to only 21% of their capacity, down from 26% a year ago, although it is higher than the average in the past 10 years.
"There has been a prolonged dry spell in India. West Bengal too has faced the same trend. In our state, we use wet beds for paddy nurseries and it requires a good amount of soil moisture content. There should be good rains to improve the water table content for raising paddy nurseries. There is hardly any water reservoir now," said Paristosh Bhattacharya, additional-director of agri research in West Bengal.
Delay to Affect Rabi Crop Too
Agriculture ministry officials and farm specialists discussed the situation at a meeting in Kolkata on "Bringing Green Revolution to Eastern India".
"As of now, we are hoping to have a good monsoon, but at the meeting, it was decided to prepare a contingency plan if things go wrong," said Bhattacharya.
Industry officials said delay in planting would lead to late harvesting, which in turn could affect the winter-sown crop. "The rain has to come on time and volume should be good so that soil becomes ready for sowing. Otherwise, crop will be delayed as soil is too dry. Irrigation is one way to improve soil moist content, but that is costly. If kharif crop is delayed, it will have an impact on rabi crop like potato. Harvesting gets delayed for kharif crop," said DN Mondol, president of the Bengal Rice Mills Association. Mondol is also a paddy farmer.
States like Punjab and Haryana are advising farmers to diversify to crops other than paddy because of water scarcity and declining moisture content. "Of 141 blocks, water resources in 113 blocks are at alarming levels of under 350 feet. Hence, the state government is advocating for crops other than paddy and advising farmers to opt for new cash crop like guar," Punjab Agriculture Director Mangal Singh.
Area under paddy in Punjab is expected to drop to 27.80 lakh hectares from 28.18 lakh hectares in the previous year while in West Bengal, acreage under kharif paddy is estimated to be 44 lakh hectares this year, same as last year. The state produces 150 lakh tonnes of rice annually.
In Haryana, area under paddy is targeted to be 12 lakh hectares compared with 12.35 lakh hectares a year ago. "Water level in the major reservoirs is less. We are educating farmers not to grow water-intensive paddy, including basmati varieties, in non-traditional areas of Fatehabad, Hisar and Sirsa districts," said Haryana state additional agriculture director BS Duggal. In Gujarat, the area under paddy is expected to be around 7 lakh hectares.
Swapan Kumar Dutta, deputy director-general (crop science) at the Indian Council of Agricultural Research, said: "There are some problems in Maharashtra and Karnataka on account of water. We may have to look at irrigation facilities and stronger variety of seeds for these regions. But we hope monsoon will be good, which that will increase the soil moisture content."
The other major kharif crop that is sown during June-August is soyabean, which does not require much water like paddy. "For soyabean crop, 3-4 inches of rainfall is required for pre-sowing that improves the soil condition, said Rajesh Agarwal, coordinator, Soybean Processors Association of India (SOPA). Since farmers have got better returns this year from the soya crop, its sowing area is expected to go up 5-7% this year. Last year, the area under soyabean cultivation was around 101 lakh hectares.
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