Maharashtra farmers fear second consecutive bad year

PUNE: Though the entire state���s agriculture bureaucracy is busy celebrating agriculture day in Nagpur today in the diamond jubilee year of the state���s formation, farmers fear a second consecutive bad agriculture year.

Till June 29, sowing had taken place on a mere 4% of the total kharif area in the state excluding sugarcane. In the corresponding period last year, when agriculture output had declined by 30% - 50% due to prolonged dry spells in the monsoon season, sowing had been done in 10% of the kharif area.

Important pulses like tur and moong have been sown only on 1% of their average area while urad has been sown on just 2% area. Last year the production of pulses had declined by 46% while cereal and oilseed production was down by 27% and 50%, respectively.
This year, the area under pulses was expected to rise due to better prices. However, the agriculture department has advised farmers not to sow moong and urad after July 1 as the yield of late sown crops reduces substantially.

Maharashtra stands second in the country���s soyabean production occupying an average area of 25 lakh hectare. However this year sowing has been done only on 4% of the normal area against 29% sowing in the corresponding comparable period of last year. Soyabean yield had declined by 900 kilograms per hectare last year due to late sowing and pest attack.

In pockets like Pune district, there has been negligible addition to the water stock in the dams. After June 10, dam water is not supplied to agriculture as the supply of drinking water becomes the priority.

"Fortunately, the areas where there is a standing sugarcane crop have received some good pre-monsoon showers, thus easing the pressure," said Pune irrigation superintending engineer Avinash Surve.