Haryana and Punjab reel under drought

The states of Punjab and Haryana, which make a major contribution to the grain procurement for the public distribution system in India, are reeling under severe drought.

Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda announced on Tuesday that the entire state had been declared as "drought-affected" for Kharif 2014 and a special girdawari (assessment) had been ordered to assess the loss caused due to the continued dry spell.

An official spokesperson said according to the data collected from the India Meteorological Department for the period from June 1 to August 31, Haryana continued to experience a more than 65 per cent rainfall deficit. Eighteen out of 21 districts in the state have received less than 50 per cent rainfall.

The spokesperson said out of the special package sought from the central government, Rs 1,191.79 crore had been demanded to compensate the state power utilities which had been consistently maintaining an eight-hour supply for the agriculture tube wells for meeting the irrigation needs of farmers and saving the crops. Notwithstanding that, power was being sourced at a very high rate.

He said the state government had also proposed Rs 1,047.71 crore to offset the interest burden on the farmers on account of deferment and conversion of short term crop loans, advanced by the cooperative sector banks, to medium term loans in these difficult times. An enhanced provision of Rs 293.30 crore had been sought under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme and the Integrated Watershed Management Programme to provide additional wage employment and creation of water harvesting structures in the rural areas of the state.

In Punjab, the deficit rainfall would put an additional burden of Rs 79 crore on farmers, said an official.

The escalating cost of agriculture and decreasing returns has put small farmers in a Catch-22 situation. The small farmers might not be able to sustain if the state government does not compensate the increase in cost, said Jagtar Singh Brar, a farmer from Bathinda.
DISMAL PICTURE IN HARYANA & PUNJAB

• Haryana has sought a special package of Rs 4,829.75 crore
• Punjab has demanded a compensation of Rs 2,330 crore from the Centre
• The extra cost incurred on irrigation may put the farmers in debt trap if assistance not provided timely
• State mulling to give a compensation of Rs 4,000 per acre in case of more than 50 per cent damage to the crops of paddy and cotton and Rs 3,500 per acre for other crops