Uneven monsoon affects Kharif sowing

Barring Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra, all major-rice producing States have witnessed a significant decline in paddy acreages

 

 

 

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After a dull June, monsoon in India picked up pace to cover the entire country earlier this month. Southwest monsoon has arrived in most parts of the country except Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Gangetic West Bengal, and Punjab. India witnessed its wettest week from July 7 to 13 when it received 50 percent excess rainfall than the average period. At least 42 districts across the country received 300 percent more than normal during this period. 

While the monsoon across the country has been 11 percent above normal, there is wide variation in the region. For instance, Northwest India has a deficit of 9 percent while the south has had 37 percent surplus and central India 33 percent so far. The states of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand and Bengal have all received deficient rains. Eastern UP is the worst hit, receiving 72 percent less rainfall than normal, making it the only subdivision in the country with "large deficiency" or scanty rains so far.

Source: Indian Metrological Department

This is reflected in the kharif sowing data, particularly paddy, where the states have been lagging. U.P., the second-largest rice producer, recorded a decline of 8 lakh ha in area sown with rice this year. Barring Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra, all major-rice producing States have witnessed a significant decline in paddy acreages. The data also shows that the area coverage under arhar, most grown kharif pulse, is also down by 18.25 per cent to 25.81 lh as on July 15. Arhar area is down in Telangana (52 percent), Uttar Pradesh (30 percent), Karnataka (18.91 percent) and Maharashtra (8.7 percent).

From availability standpoint, too, there is no crisis for now. At 47.22 million tonnes as on July 1, rice stocks were three-and-a-half times the required minimum buffer of 13.54 million tonnes.

There is some good news as well. Apart from rice and arhar, all other kharif crops have exceeded last year’s levels for the first time in the current planting season. The good spell of rain in Central, Western and Southern India have helped boost sowings of cotton, soyabean, sesamum, bajra (pearl-millet), jowar (sorghum), moong (green gram) and urad (black gram). Overall, as of July 15, farmers have planted a total area of 592.11 lakh hectares (lh) so far in this kharif season from June, more than the 591.30 lh covered during the corresponding period last year.