Phailin, the severe cyclonic storm which is expected to hit the East Coast, will spell trouble for standing crops such as paddy, pulses, maize and soyabean, in States such as West Bengal, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh.
“The cyclone is definitely bad news for agriculture and could affect standing crops that are in maturing stages,” said Agriculture Commissioner J. S. Sandhu.
The impact on these crops will depend on the intensity of the cyclone and rains that it will bring in, he said. “There will be crop losses but it would be too early to quantify at this stage,” he said. The India Meteorological Department on Friday said the cyclone has intensified further and is expected to make a landfall near Gopalpur in Odisha. It is expected to bring in heavy rainfall of 20-25 cm in coastal States.
Even States in hinterland, such as Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand, are expected to battered by heavy rain, the IMD predicted.
Beleaguered soyabean growers in Madhya Pradesh are worried over the prospects of rains being brought by the cyclone. Soyabean is currently being harvested in MP, the key producing State, where heavy rainfall over the last 8-10 days have already spelt trouble for farmers affecting the quality of the produce.
“We are worried over the extension effect of cyclonic rains and believe that arrivals and the quality of the beans would be further affected,” said Rajesh Agrawal, spokesperson for the Soyabean Processors Association.
Dicey, problematic
Market arrivals of soyabean have already been affected by the delayed withdrawal of monsoons. Terming the current situation as a “bit dicey and problematic” Agrawal expressed hope the rains will stop in a day or two.
The high moisture content in soyabean has disturbed the processing with only 50 per cent of the 140 units starting crushing operations. The beans that are arriving in the market have moisture of 17-20 per cent, while the ideal moisture content for crushing is around 10-12 per cent. The current situation in Madhya Pradesh has made exporters of soyameal jittery as shipments for an estimated one million tonnes till December have been contracted.
According to IMD, east Madhya Pradesh has received 386 per cent excess rainfall during October 1-8 compared with the normal precipitation for the period. In west MP, the rainfall was excess by 94 per cent, east Rajasthan (55 per cent), west Rajasthan (73 per cent), Vidarbha (241 per cent), Saurashtra 189 per cent and Gujarat 140 per cent for the period.
Second estimate
SOPA has pegged the total crop this year at 129.83 lakh tonnes, 17 per cent lower than Agriculture Ministry’s early estimates of 156.81 lakh tonnes on crop damage and lower yields in Madhya Pradesh. Agrawal said the industry body will carry out a second crop estimate by the month-end.
The cyclonic rains are unlikely to pose a major challenge for cotton crop in Andhra, Odisha and Madhya Pradesh, said Kiran Kranthi, Director of the Nagpur-based Central Institute for Cotton Research. Unless the heavy winds destroy the plants, the rains are unlikely to spell any trouble as the plants can still recover, Kranthi said.