August rains bring shower of respite

The sowing operations picked pace, reservoirs filled to normal levels and threat of power crisis eases down. The rains, which are so far 97% of normal for this month, reduced the overall monsoon deficit to 14 per cent.

Total live storage in the 84 important reservoirs equaled 10 year average at 57 per cent of the full capacity as against 69% last year. This has also brought the sowing of rice, which forms over 70% of total kharif output, to cross the normal levels. The rice acreage expanded to 329.19 lakh hectare - 10.36 lakh hectare more than the 5 year average.

The higher areas have been reported in Assam, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Jharkhand. The deficit in pulses acreage has also been reduced with higher area being reported in Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Assam, Uttar Pradesh and Punjab.

The situation is likely to improve by the end of this month as Rajasthan which contributes 45% of the total moong production in the country is getting good rains. The area under cotton is lower than last year but higher than 10 year average. The deficit is mainly due to lesser area reported int he largest cotton growing state Gujarat, which is reeling under acute drought conditions.

The Cotton Advisory Board (CAB) too refrained from making any crop estimates of cotton for the year 2012-13 (Oct-Sept) in view of severe drought in major cotton growing areas particularly Gujarat and Maharashtra.