Monsoon signs off, kharif crops strong
As the erratic monsoons season signs off kharif crops harvest are expected to remain strong. Contrary to belief, excess flooding seen in a few key states has not reduced the area of kharif crop coverage. But in the current week the overall amount ...
By Shivom Chakravarti, TNN |
As the erratic monsoons season signs off kharif crops harvest are expected to remain strong. Contrary to belief, excess flooding seen in a few key states has not reduced the area of kharif crop coverage. But in the current week the overall amount of rainfall has been well off the mark.
This is probably the first sign of the withdrawal of the monsoon season. The actual amount of rainfall for the week ended 30 August was only 38.7 mm about 24% lower than expected. However for the season as a whole the overall amount of rainfall has been only 2% lower than expectations.
The only regions to see some sort of downpour in the last week were in a few eastern states, while rainfall was heavy even in Jammu & Kashmir and Punjab. The low-pressure area over the Bay of Bengal and Jharkhand were instrumental in bring rainfall to the eastern parts.
Crops like rice, jowar, maize, bajra, sugarcane and sesamum that are extensively sown in the east should benefit. Unlike most of the monsoon season the western states have seen very scanty rainfall in the week in review, particularly in the states of Gujarat and Rajasthan.
Even southern India did not see much rainfall in the previous week. While in the north Harayana, UP, Delhi have continued to see deficient to scanty rainfall. The northeastern states continue to receive scanty rainfall in the current monsoon season.
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On the crops front, rice seems to have seen the highest increase of 16.2 lakh hectare in its area under coverage. Jowar, bajra, groundnut, sesamum, and castor have been the worst affected in the current monsoon season. Key cash crops like cotton, and sugarcane have recorded good increases in the area under coverage, this should help boost farmer income levels as well. Tomato, gram dal, gourd, and atta have recorded the highest retail prices increases as on week ending 24 August.
Water levels continue to remain high. With the storage capacity in the 76 major reservoirs increasing by 6.4 billion cubic meters (BCM) from 92.1 BCM in the previous week to 98.5BCM in the current week.
According the IMD, there should be increased rainfall over Rajasthan, Orissa, West Bengal and northwest India in the next week.
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