Bihar promotes maize cultivation in paddy-growing districts due to rainfall deficit

The districts include Gaya, Nalanda, Nawada, Munger, Jamui, Lakhisarai, Sheikhpura and Banka where the paddy coverage is around 20%

The Bihar agriculture department has begun a contingency plan by promoting maize cultivation in eight districts where the paddy transplantation coverage is around 20% due to deficient rainfall, officials in the department have said.

A farmer irrigates a maize crop field. (AFP Photo)

The districts include Gaya, Nalanda, Nawada, Munger, Jamui, Lakhisarai, Sheikhpura and Banka where the paddy coverage is around 20% as per latest data, officials said.

“As part of the crop contingency plan, we are going to distribute maize seeds as an alternative in the eight districts as paddy coverage is around 20%. We anticipate that the paddy coverage will not be near the 100%-mark even if rainfall normalises this season,” agriculture director Alok Ranjan Ghosh said.

The agriculture department has started the contingency crop plan in the wake of deficient rainfall by assessing the paddy transplantation coverage, officials said.

Farmers across the state are ruing the damage to seedlings of paddy due to rainfall deficit. As per data, Bihar has offset 48% of the deficit in June and July.

Meanwhile, the agriculture department has started rolling out diesel subsidies to farmers for irrigation purposes in the kharif season. Officials said they have received around 100,000 applications and disbursed ₹1 crore to beneficiaries.

Each eligible farmer is entitled to ₹750 per hectare, with a maximum of up to eight hectares for five irrigation cycles, to safeguard paddy at the nursery stage and after transplantation.

“We are processing the application for diesel subsidy on a priority basis to give assistance to farmers,” the agriculture director said.