The agricultural sector in India faces a challenging year as uneven rainfall takes a toll on kharif crops, leading to a 3.4 percent decline in total acreage for the 2023-24 season compared to the previous year. Despite some recent progress in kharif sowing, it still falls short of last year's figures, raising concerns about potential repercussions on rabi crops.
Siraj Hussain, Former Agricultural Secretary, expressed his apprehension about the situation. He emphasised that paddy is the largest kharif crop and, as such, a major cause for concern, particularly in rain-fed regions like Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Bihar, and West Bengal, which have received inadequate rainfall.
Hussain said, “I am rather worried at the progress of the monsoon, the Northwest India which generally receives little rainfall, except in July and August has been inundated and Punjab and Haryana are in very bad shape. In Punjab out of about 31 lakh hectares of land area under paddy some six lakh hectares has been affected by torrential rains and flooding and silting etc. and about two hectares the crop has been very badly damaged and replanting will be needed.”
He added, “At the same time in the southern states, the monsoon has been deficient, also in the eastern states it is deficient now, these are the states where paddy is the staple crop. Because the figures of sowing will not capture the damage to the standing crop, there is some reason to worry at the moment.”
Additionally, Hussain noted that the cultivation area for tur (pigeon pea) has been much lower than normal. “But I also noticed that the area under tur has been much lower as compared to the normal area. Now, tur is already under pressure because of poor crop last year and tur prices are very high. So that is another major crop which is a cause of concern.”
Regarding government intervention, Hussain stated that he has not come across many details about measures taken by the state governments. However, he did observe that in Punjab, farmers are assisting one another during this difficult time.
Hussain said, “In Punjab, however, I find that the farmers are helping each other. The state government has also decided that it will distribute the saplings free of cost to the farmers whose transplanted paddy has already been damaged. So maybe some efforts are going on at the state level, because basically the states have to take care of the flooded areas and also the drought-prone areas.”
Hussain expressed confidence that each district's Central Research Institute for Dryland Agriculture (CRIDA) in Hyderabad and the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) has prepared contingency plans that are available to state governments and district collectors. As such, he believes that these plans have likely been put into action in the affected states.
Nevertheless, Hussain cautioned that even with improved weather conditions, there may not be a substantial surplus of crops, potentially leading to inflationary pressures and impacting exports.
The uneven rainfall during this kharif season has taken a toll on India's agricultural sector, with both Northwest and certain Southern and Eastern states facing challenges.
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Paddy acreage reduces by 35% so far this kharif season; area under pulses, coarse cereals acreage up
(Edited by : Sangam Singh)
First Published: Jul 18, 2023 5:31 PM IST
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