With delay in the onset of monsoon, farmers in many parts of Haryana affected by water scarcity are worried about timely sowing of Kharif crops.
While the paddy growers are waiting for the rainfall as prices of diesel , being used to run the generators to irrigate fields, are constantly increasing.
Moreover, farmers have been complaining of paddy crop turning dry in many parts of Rohtak and Jhajjar due to rainfall scarcity. Over 25,000 acre land area has been covered under paddy in Rohtak and Jhajjar.
Anup Kumar, of Mokhra village in Rohtak, said his paddy crop on four acre has been drying for the last one week and will be damaged within a week if there’s no rain.
“The constant rise of diesel prices is causing misery for farmers. At such high prices of diesel, it is not possible to irrigate the fields. Only rainfall can save farmers,” he added.
Surender Ahlawat, a farmer from Jhajjar’s Gochi village, said apart from delayed monsoon, power cuts, rising diesel prices have increased their problem.
“Our paddy crop is drying due to water scarcity. Due to delayed monsoon, we have been running generators for 2-4 hours to irrigate our paddy fields but the diesel is getting out of our reach due to hike in prices. If there’s no rain in the region, our paddy crop will get ruined,” he added.
{{/usCountry}}“Our paddy crop is drying due to water scarcity. Due to delayed monsoon, we have been running generators for 2-4 hours to irrigate our paddy fields but the diesel is getting out of our reach due to hike in prices. If there’s no rain in the region, our paddy crop will get ruined,” he added.
{{/usCountry}}Farmers in Bhiwani, Mahendergarh, Hisar and Charkhi Dadri are waiting for monsoon to sow bajra, moong and other crops.
Satyawan Kumar, a farmer from Surpura Khurd village in Bhiwani, said they are eagerly waiting for rainfall to sow Kharif crops and are delaying it day-by-day.
Jhajjar deputy director (agriculture) Inder Singh, who has additional charge of Rohtak, said the paddy crop will be damaged in many parts of Rohtak and Jhajjar by next week, if rain does not lash.
“Paddy is a water-guzzling crop and is getting damaged due to hot summer and water scarcity. Delayed monsoon has brought misery to farmers and agricultural officials. Once paddy crop is damaged, it won’t survive even after rainfall,” he added.