 "Punjab, known as the country’s grain bowl with over 80 per cent of its land under irrigation, recorded the second highest farmers suicides in 2015, after Maharashtra")
Despite an uneven distribution of rainfall and sub-normal monsoon precipitation recorded at many places in Punjab, the state has registered an increase in acreage of major kharif crops in the state during this season.
According to the information available with the meteorological department, the actual rainfall till September 17 was 345.3 centimetre (cm), against the average rainfall of 456.6 cm, indicating a deviation of 24 per cent. Ferozepur and Patiala districts have recorded more than 50 per cent deficient rainfall.
This has been more than made up for by higher water levels in the reservoirs, as canal irrigation in Punjab gets a boost with the help of water stored in them. Bhakra, Pong and Ranjit Sagar reservoirs, this year, had sufficient water to irrigate Punjab’s fields.
Though rainfall has been deficit in different parts of the state, sowing has registered an increase over the past year in major kharif crops of paddy, maize, oilseeds and soybean.
An official in the agriculture department of Punjab informed there has been improvement in area under all kharif crops, except for cotton. The area under cotton has declined, owing to whitefly pest attack and consequent crop loss to farmers last year.
According to Surender Paul, director, Meteorological Centre, Chandigarh, a deviation of 19 per cent below or above average rainfall is normal. After a dry spell of two consistent years, this rain has reduced the dependence of farmers on irrigation.
“Rain has saved us from incurring expenditure on running tubewells. We could have saved more, with more downpour but natural showers helped to prepare the soil for the next crop,” said Harbans Singh, a farmer from Rajpura.
The area under paddy has increased from 2.97 million hectares (ha) last year to 3.01 million ha this year. Maize has been sown in 145,000 ha, compared to 115,000 ha last year, registering an increase of 30,000 ha.
The area under pulses and oilseeds has almost doubled in a year. Pulses have been sown over 27,000 ha this year, against 11,000 ha last year. Oilseeds improved to 7,000 ha, from 3,900 ha last year.
Haryana, too, has seen a similar trend and recorded 24 per cent deficit rainfall, with 330 cm precipitation till September 17, against 439 cm of average rainfall. Districts of Panchkula, Ambala and Sonepat registered 50 per cent deficient rainfall.
Nevertheless, the acreage under all major crops, except cotton, has increased. Paddy area has increased from 1.24 million ha to 1.31 million ha over the past year. Under the crop diversification programme of the Government of India, sowing of maize and bajra, too, has picked up in Haryana, said an official in the Directorate of Agriculture, Haryana.
Maize acreage has hiked from 13,700 ha to 18,400 ha. Bajra doubled from 33,200 ha to 65,000 ha this year. Area from cotton has been diverted to these crops.
Cotton acreage has shrunk from 5.82 million ha last year to 5.16 million ha this year. Reluctance towards cotton was expected due to substantial crop loss in the aftermath of the whitefly pest attack.
