Kharif crops at risk as monsoon plays truant

Vulnerability of rice, maize, oilseeds, cotton and other Kharif crops has increased on account of deficient rainfalls across most of the key producing states, an NCDEX report has said.

Vulnerability of rice, maize, oilseeds, cotton and other Kharif crops has increased on account of deficient rainfalls across most of the key producing states, an NCDEX report has said.

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The major states where Kharif crops are vulnerable are Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, West Bengal, Karnataka and eastern Rajasthan. These states are major Kharif crops growing regions.

Kharif crops like bajra, rice, urad, arhar, groundnuts, soyabean, castor, sugarcane, cotton and jute are sown with the onset of the Southwest monsoon in June.

The report quoting Indian Meteorological Department said that the country received rainfall of 254.5 mm against a normal of 292.5 mm, indicating a deficiency of 13 per cent from June 1 to July 14. It, however, said though there has been increase in vulnerability numbers, they seem to be quite low compared to that in initial weeks of the season last year and the overall situation does not look worrisome as it was last year.

The deficiency in rainfall was 27 per cent in the same time last year.

The percentage of crop vulnerability for bajra in Rajasthan was 8 per cent, while it was 8.5 per cent in Uttar Pradesh and 5.1 per cent in Gujarat on July 14. For maize it was 4 per cent in Karnataka, Bihar (2.3 per cent), Uttar Pradesh (4.4 per cent) and Madhya Pradesh (2.4 per cent). Likewise for rice it was 5.4 per cent in West Bengal and 8.4 per cent in Uttar Pradesh.

The percentage of vulnerability number for ragi was 15.9 per cent in Karnataka, while for urad it was 12.2 per cent in Uttar Pradesh, for arhar it was 8.4 per cent in UP, for groundnuts it was 17.3 per cent in Gujarat, for sunflower it was 1.1 per cent in UP and for Soyabean it was 17.9 per cent in Madhya Pradesh.

The report predicts better times in the coming week. Quoting the IMD it said the coming week is likely to experience a widespread rainfall activity over the Northeastern states, Sub-Himalayan West Bengal and Sikkim and northern Bihar, eastern Uttar Pradesh during first half of the week.

Also a fairly widespread rainfall activity is likely to continue over the West Coast and south Gujarat during the first half of the week, it said adding there is a dim possibility of formation of low pressure system over the Bay of Bengal.