Above-normal rains see larger crop planting

Despite indifferent distribution, the nearly 4 per cent above-normal monsoon rainfall this season has proved a blessing for the country’s agriculture. It has facilitated crop planting on more than 100.62 million hectares, some 6.5 million hectares more than in the drought-hit kharif last year and, more significantly, over 200,000 hectares larger than in 2008 kharif when the overall rainfall was normal and better distributed.

All crops have been sown on larger acreage than last year, the biggest gainer being paddy, with an area expansion of over 2 million hectares, and pulses, with an almost equal expansion of 1.97 million hectares. Higher plantings of pulses are being attributed to farmers’ expectations of better returns in view of supply constrain-driven high ruling prices. The standing crops are, moreover, reported to be in good shape in most parts of the country, barring the flood-affected pockets in the north and rain-deficient tracts of the east.

The monsoon’s parting gift — or perhaps the parting kick — of 22 per cent excess rainfall in September caused floods in the North. But, it helped bring down the rainfall paucity in the Northeast to 17 per cent from over 32 per cent in August-end. This has facilitated transplanting of relatively older paddy seedlings in the unsown rice lands in southern West Bengal.

Elsewhere in the poor rainfall zone of east, farmers are busy sowing quick-maturing crops of pulses or fodder or are preparing to plant early rabi crops. The farmers of this belt, who have not yet managed to sow any crop, are being advised by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research to go for rabi vegetables. Many farmers in Assam are reported to have begun doing so.

With the relenting of rains in the North in the past few days, flood waters in most areas have started receding. Farmers have been advised to apply an extra dose of nitrogen (30 kg per hectare) to revive the crops that have begun to wither. Where the crop loss due to inundation is almost total, the cultivators are being advised to sow toria oilseed, which will vacate land in time to plant regular rabi crop.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) foresees the withdrawal of the monsoon from western Rajasthan and subsequently from the whole north-western region in the next day or two. It may retreat further from the central and eastern India by October 6.

The cumulative monsoon rainfall in whole country till September 25 was estimated by IMD at 900.8 mm, about 4 per cent in excess of the normal 865 mm. Barring the eastern region, which had a rain deficiency of 17 per cent, all the other three homogenous regions of the country have received above-normal waterfall this season. The rainfall is higher than normal by 21 per cent in the southern peninsula, 15 per cent in the north-west and 5 per cent in central India.

On the whole, only five of the country’s total 36 meteorological subdivisions fall in the deficient rainfall category this year, against 22 in this bracket last year. In terms of geographical area, over 85 per cent has received normal or excess rainfall.

Meteorologically, however, the spread of the rains has not been even. The bulk of the rain water has poured after the third week of August. There was a prolonged lull in the rainfall in the second half of June. Spatial distribution, too, left much to be desired as the eastern region remained rain-starved for most part of the season.

But from agricultural viewpoint, the pattern of rainfall had not been disappointing as the crops’ actual water requirement is usually far lower than the normal monsoon rainfall. Besides, two spells of good, but dispersed, showers — in the first week of July and the last week of July and the first week of August — facilitated extensive and mostly timely kharif sowing.

Significantly, even in the meteorologically rain-short eastern region, crop planting has been normal in many areas, such as eastern Uttar Pradesh, thanks to sporadic showers. The impact of the drought in east India on the overall kharif production may, therefore, not be as substantial as was feared.

A significant benefit of the overall good monsoon rainfall has been in terms of replenishment of water reservoirs and underground water aquifers. The total water stock of the country’s 81 major reservoirs was assessed at 115 billion cubic metres on September 23. This was 26 per cent above the last year’s corresponding level and 17 per cent above the long period average. This should end worries about hydel power production and crop irrigation in the next summer months.