Good showers in post-SW monsoon period boost hopes for rabi crops

Ashok B Sharma

New Delhi, Dec 9: Good showers in the post-Southwest (SW) monsoon period and in the current Northeast (NE) monsoon specially in the central, northeastern and southern parts of the country have encouraged farmers to go for increased area coverage under rabi crops.

In fact these showers helped the many deficient rainfall areas in the recent SW monsoon period to have good precipitation leading to better crop prospects in the current rabi season. The average cumulative rainfall for the country in the first two months of the post-SW monsoon period beginning from October 1, 2001 was 20 per cent more than the normal of 108.8 mm, being at 130.8 mm.

In the southern part of the country only rain deficient areas in the current Northeast (NE) monsoon have been Tamil Nadu, Pondicherry, Lakshadweep and south interior Karnataka. This is a matter of concern particularly for Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry as it did not receive much rains in the recent SW monsoon. In the first two months of the current NE monsoon, rainfall was deficient in Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry by 27 per cent, in Lakshadweep by 26 per cent and in south interior Karnataka marginally by 13 per cent.

Other rain deficient areas in the first two months of post-SW monsoon period are Konkan & Goa (-27 per cent), Saurashtra, Kutch & Diu (-41 per cent), east Rajasthan (-31 per cent), west UP (-45 per cent), Haryana, Chandigarh & Delhi (-54 per cent), Punjab (-80 per cent), Himachal Pradesh (-69 per cent), Uttaranchal (-86 per cent) and Jammu & Kashmir (-23 per cent).

However, deficient rains in the post-SW monsoon in these areas is not much of a concern as most of these areas received good rains in the recent SW monsoon and a large part of northern India is well irrigated. There may be some water stress problems in some places in Konkan and Goa, west UP, Himachal Pradesh and Uttaranchal.
Rajasthan and Gujarat have already made extensive structures for water harvesting.

The total live storage in 70 major reservoirs in different parts of the country by November-end, this year was 77.56 TM Cum as against 69.22 TM Cum in the like period last year. Current year’s storage is nearly 59 per cent of the designed utilisable storage and also 59 per cent of the storage capacity at full reservoir level (FRL) as against 53 per cent of the storage capacity at FRL in the like period last year.

Good showers in the first two months of the post-SW Monsoon period have encouraged farmers to increase area coverage under all rabi crops over the corresponding period in the previous year. Major part of the normal area under jowar and linseed have been covered by November-end.

Wheat crop is in seedling stage in Punjab and out of 33.4 lakh hectare of normal area in the state, 25.33 lakh hectare has been covered so far. In UP about 50 per cent of normal area has been covered and in Haryana out of the normal area of 21.9 lakh hectare, about 16.5 lakh hectare has been covered. The total covered under wheat crop in the country is so far 70.64 lakh hectare as against 63.42 lakh hectare in the like period last year. Total normal area for wheat crop in the country is 272 lakh hectare.

West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh are the major paddy producing states in the rabi season. Sowing of paddy has commenced in Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. Maharashtra and Karnataka are major jowar producing states and rains have encouraged farmers to go for more area coverage. So far 51.2 lakh hectare has been covered under jowar which is 3.3 lakh hectare more than that in the like period last year. Sowing of maize and barley has started and already 2.67 lakh hectare has been sown as against 1.61 lakh hectare in the like period last year. Area coverage under maize is now 2.13 lakh hectare as against 1.76 lakh hectare in the like period last year.

Mustard and toria crop is in seedling to vegetative or flowering stage in Haryana, J&K and Rajasthan trace incidence of whitefly is reported in Sriganganagar and Hanumangarh districts in Rajasthan. Area coverage under mustard in Rajasthan has declined by one lakh hectare. Other major mustard producing states are UP, MP, Haryana and Gujarat. Castor crop is in vegetative to fruiting stage in Haryana and Bihar.

Sowing of groundnut is in progress in Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu and so far 1.22 lakh hectare has been covered. Sowing of sunflower is also in progress in Karnataka, Maharshtra and Andhra Pradesh and so far 6.86 lakh hectare has been covered.

Gram crop is in vegetative stage in MP, Himachal Pradesh and Rajasthan. Redgram is in flowering to pod formation stage in Andhra Pradesh, MP, Gujarat and UP.