The scanty rainfall in Punjab, especially in June and July (paddy sowing is in full swing in these two months), proved as a blessing for over 2,700 petrol pumps, of the state, as consumption of diesel mainly for irrigation reached an all-time high in these two months.
Consumption of diesel during June and July in Punjab has increased by 99,121 million tonnes (MT), largely owing to drought conditions.
It is pertinent to mention here that rice in Punjab is transplanted from June 10 to fourth week of July.
Up to July 13, the rainfall in the state was deficient by about 65 per cent. Even with such a heavy shortfall in rain, the farmers managed to plant about 2.3 million hectare of paddy by this date.
Thereafter, there was slight improvement in the rainfall and estimated area sown under paddy in the state was about 2.7 million hectare compared with 2.735 million hectare last year.
| PUMPING POWER Month-wise consumption of diesel | ||||
| Month | 2008 (MT) | 2009 (MT) | Increase (MT) | % Increase |
| April | 229,305 | 249,390 | 20,085 | 8.8 |
| May | 261,082 | 228,741 | -32,341 | -12.4 |
| June | 207,116 | 285,525 | 78,409 | 37.9 |
| July | 196,541 | 217,373 | 20,832 | 10.6 |
| Aug | 143,193 | 160,000* | 16,807 | — |
| Sept | 177,968 | 195,000* | 17,032 | — |
| *estimated | ||||
Rainfall during the kharif season as a whole has been scanty — 70 per cent less than normal during May and June, and about 38 per cent less thereafter, which compelled farmers to depend on diesel pump sets for irrigation in the absence of power.
The spatial and temporal distribution of rainfall has been poor, which resulted in increase in input cost owing to consumption of additional quantity of diesel.
The state has about 8.5 per cent of the total petrol pumps in the country.
