With the area under paddy in Haryana going down by almost 10 per cent because of scanty rain in the current Kharif season, the state is unlikely to achieve rice output of 36.80 lakh tonnes this year.
"If the rainfall in August is not as expected, it can affect rice production in the state," a senior official of the Haryana Agriculture Department said here.
Against last year's area of 12.10 lakh hectares, the area under paddy in Haryana has this year shrunk to 10.90 lakh hectares, according to the data procured from the department. The state had targeted achieving 11.50 lakh hectares under paddy cultivation this fiscal, which has not been achieved.
During 2008-09 as well, the state had witnessed a dip in rice production at 32.98 lakh tonnes from rice output of 36.13 lakh tonnes in 2007-08.
This season, Haryana observed 94.9 mm of rainfall from June 1 to August 5, which is 61 per cent less than the normal rainfall. Rice producing districts such as Sirsa, Fatehabad, Karnal, Kaithal and Kurukshetra were the ones to record the lowest rainfall this monsoon.
According to experts, the erratic monsoon has also brought down the yield of rice this year. The state had set an ambitious target to achieve a yield of 32 quintals per hectare this year, against 27.26 quintals per hectare last year.
The state this year pegged its area under basmati cultivation at 6 lakh hectares, which is 55 per cent of the total area under paddy cultivation.
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"Last year the area under basmati cultivation was close to 5 lakh hectares and this year it should reach at least 6 lakh hectares in the state," an official had said.
Although, Haryana government has not decided to declare the state drought hit, it has decided to earmark each of the districts to Administrative Secretary for close monitoring of the situation in wake of the prevailing drought conditions because of deficient rainfall.