Sugarcane maturing, tilling on for kharif crops

The pre-monsoon rains, though marginally below normal, are helping proper maturity of crops like sugarcane and also in tilling farms for the upcoming 'kharif' season.

Scientists and trade officials feel delayed monsoon will not be a cause of concern provided it is eventually evenly distributed.

The kharif crops are sown from late May to early June. Its harvest starts September.

"To talk of the impact of delay in monsoon at this stage will only be a theoretical exercise because in the end it is the spatial distribution of rains which matters," Indian Council of Agriculture Research director general Mangala Rai said.

There is a possibility that even if monsoon is delayed, its quantum is not affected and geographical distribution is good, he said.

"It is very confusing, two government research bodies have given conflicting forecasts. A week's delay will hardly make any difference for sowing of oilseeds,provided the rains are widespread and come in equal intervals," Solvent Extractors Association executive director B V Mehta said.

However, more importantly, a drop in edible oils prices may discourage farmers from growing oilseeds this season, apprehending low returns from the crop, he said.

Meanwhile, pre-monsoon rains have assisted the growth of sugarcane crop, which is in the maturity stage in states like Uttar Pradesh. Farmers are also preparing soil beds for sowing cotton, paddy, and kharif oilseeds like groundnut and soybean.

Uttaranchal: Sowing of millet, transplanting of tomato and harvesting of mustard and toria crops are in progress. Potatoes and spring rice are in the vegetative stage. Wheat and barley are in the maturity stage.

Rajasthan: Irrigation in green fodder and sugarcane crops and sowing of cotton are in progress.

Kerala: Black pepper is in good condition. Nursery and field preparation for virippu crop, new planting, and sowing of ginger, turmeric, yams, amorphophalus, colacasia, and vegetables and also planting of rubber and coconut are in progress.

Karnataka: Rains have added to the vigour in back-pruned grapes. Cleaning of unwanted canes in grape orchards and spraying to get good canes are in progress.

West Bengal: Sowing of summer rice and jute planting has begun in West Bengal.