AJIT SINGH REVIEWS SITUATION IN THE
CONTEXT OF ABNORMAL MONSOON
The Agriculture Ministry is keeping a close
watch on crop and weather situation and a contingency plan has
already been drawn to reduce the adverse impact of aberrations
in monsoon performance. This involves alternative cropping strategies
e.g. promoting crop like Guar & Moth in Rajasthan, where area
under Bajra has been not covered. Similarly, promotion of pulses
and oilseeds in upland paddy areas of Chhattisgarh region. The
Chief Secretaries of the States have already been communicated
about the emerging exigencies and need to be ready with contingency
measures. The Area Officers in the Ministry have been in constant
touch with the State authorities of the critical States regarding
developments particularly in the States of UP, MP, Karnataka,
Rajasthan, Haryana and Punjab, where the monsoon movement has
been either subdued or delayed.
The Agriculture Minister, Shri Ajit Singh today
reviewed the agricultural situation in the context of abnormal
behavior of monsoon during the current year. Secretary, Department
of Agriculture & Cooperation, Director General, Indian Council
of Agricultural Research Director General, India Meteorological
Department and Senior Officers of the Ministry participated in
the review meeting. The Director General, India Meteorological
Department, apprised the Agriculture Minister about the latest
status of monsoon in the country. The impact of delayed rains
on the crops and coping strategies were discussed at length.
Input management
has been given priority to ensure availability of seed and other
necessary inputs for alternative cropping systems. The States
have been advised to ensure efficient use of irrigation so that
land use for agriculture is optimized with the available moisture.
Facilities for credit and coverage under crop insurance have to
be geared to take care of emerging situation.
The monsoon
2002 started with an optimistic note with a forecast of normal
rainfall. The take off of rainfall activity in the month of June
2002 was quite satisfactory. However, the vigour of monsoon dissipated
in the last week of June as a result of which the monsoon failed
to advance and cover a large part of the north-west India.
The behavior of the monsoon
in the past two weeks has been erratic. During the week-ending
10th July 2002, the weak monsoon conditions prevailed
almost over the entire country and out of 36 MET Divisions 25
MET Sub-Divisions remained practically dry. The cumulative rainfall
from 1st June to 10th July 2002 was also
deficient in 20 MET Divisions, covering the States of Himachal
Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh,
Chhattisgarh, Orissa, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and
Arunachal Pradesh.
This weather phenomenon though unusual but
is not unprecedented. During 1992 and 1995 also the rainfall was
deficient till middle of July and its onset in Delhi was delayed
till the second week of July. However, the absence of low pressure
area in the Bay of Bengal in the first fortnight of July is rather
un-usual. According to India Meteorological Department the low
pressure area has now formed over Bay of Bengal and this creates
optimism about its advancement in the sub-continent in the next
four five days leading to rainfall and bringing relief to farmers.
The present weather scenario has impacted
the coverage of rainfed crops, mainly coarse cereals, oilseeds
and pulses. However, if the monsoon revives in another 4-5 days,
the hopes for which have been kept alive due to latest development
of weather system in the Bay of Bengal, the stress to agricultural
operations in Central and Northern parts of the country will be
mitigated to some extent. But, in certain areas of Rajasthan,
MP, UP & Haryana, where the sowing of crops such as Bajra
and soyabean have already been delayed, the moisture supplementation
even in the fourth week of July may not be able to recoup the
loss of respective crop acreage. The sowing of rice, however,
has not been affected so much so far because of available irrigation
support. But, the prolonged moisture stress may impact transplanting.
The deficient rainfall has also affected
the availability of water in the reservoirs and also the recharging
of surface and ground water. The scenario of crop response to
the weather situation and the adversities thereof will get clear
in another week’s time in consonance with the precise performance
of monsoon and its spatial distribution, based upon the weather
development currently taking place.
