The southwest monsoon, which has been lying low for more than a week after making a delayed entry into India, showed some signs of gathering momentum today, with the rains reaching parts of Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and interior Karnataka. The rains reached these areas seven-eight days behind its scheduled arrival date, raising a big question mark on the overall performance of the monsoon this year.
The four-month monsoon season is vital for Indian agriculture, as almost 55 per cent of the total arable land in the country is rainfed. The rains also provide vital moisture to soil that aids in planting of rabi crops sown after the existing kharif season.
“The condition is favourable for further advance of southwest monsoon over Konkan and some more parts of Maharashtra and interior Karnataka,” the met department said.
Meanwhile, a worried government today held discussions among its officials to chalk out a strategy to face any adverse climatic conditions. Senior officials from the food ministry met their counterparts in the agriculture ministry to discuss ways to manage foodgrains storage and their distribution in case the monsoon don’t turn out to be favourable.
Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar said it was too early to say whether the rains would have any impact on sowing of kharif crops.
“Yes, the monsoon has got delayed. But it would be too early to say its impact on sowing,” Pawar said. He noted that the monsoon was delayed in June 2008, but the rains picked up in July-August.
Asked whether a delay in the monsoon is a cause for worry, Pawar said, “I will be able to say in the last week of this month.”
The minister said farmers had started preparing their fields for sowing paddy in some parts. Besides paddy, other major kharif crops are pulses, oilseeds and cotton.
The southwest monsoon, the lifeline of Indian agriculture, had reached Kerala on June 5.
The country received 32 per cent less rainfall during the first week of June.
On the back of good monsoon in 2010 and 2011, the country had harvested a record foodgrain production of 245 million tonnes and 252.6 million tonnes, respectively.
