The delayed arrival of southwest monsoon and its below-par performance in several key rice growing states is now seriously threatening to pull down kharif rice production.
As per the latest government data, the deficit in paddy (de-husked rice) sowing this year as compared to last has now widened to around 60 lakh hectare from almost 31 lakh hectarefor the week ending July 17.
Till date, the crop has been planted in around 155.66 lakh hectare, down from around 216.49 lakh hectare sown during the same period last year.
To mitigate the impact of low sowing on kharif production and also to help farmers fight inadequate claims, the government also assured states that it is willing to send teams in drought effected districts, provided it gets a formal memorandum, share half of the subsidy on diesel given by states to farmers and clear funds from the calamity relief funds to Assam, Bihar, Manipur and Uttar Pradesh to fight drought.
?The drop of almost 60 lakh hectare in paddy sowing will definitely impact final output, moreover, yields could also be hurt due to low rains,? agriculture minister Sharad Pawar said in Parliament.
The worst effected are states like Bihar, where kharif crops have been sown in around 11 lakh hectare, down from almost 23 lakh hectare sown during the same period last, with major shortfall being in paddy.
In Chhattisgarh, kharif crops have been sown in around 26 lakh hectare till now, almost 6 lakh hectare less than last year, with the shortfall largely being in paddy, in Jharkhand, kharif sowing is lagging by around 600,000 hectares, also on account of fall in paddy acreage.
In Rajasthan, there has been substantial drop in area under bajra and pulses.
In India?s largest foodgrain growing state of Uttar Pradesh, which has declared drought in 47 out of the 71 districts, kharif sowing has been completed in around 49 lakh hectares till July 27, around 30 lakh hectares less than last year.
?All kharif except for cotton have been sown in less area till now as compared to last year,? Pawar said.
Sugarcane has been sown in around 42.7 lakh hectares till July 27, down from around 43.8 lakh hectares, while cotton has been sown in around 82 lakh hectares, almost 10 lakh hectares more than last year.