With deficit rainfall at 11 per cent, Union Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh stated on Wednesday that parts of the country that had been acutely affected by the erratic monsoon this year will find the Rabi (winter) sowing season challenging.
Major wheat producing states like Uttar Pradesh (UP), Haryana and Madhya Pradesh, have had shortfalls in rain with UP declaring 40 districts as drought-hit this week. Haryana had declared all 22 districts drought affected on September 2. Wheat, barley, potato, mustard and maize, are the primary Rabi crops and are sowed at the beginning October and harvested in spring.
“Regions that received deficit rainfall will be affected during sowing for the Rabi season. However, despite 11 per cent deficit in rainfall, the situation is not like during 2009 and acreage is down only 3 per cent,” said Singh at the inauguration of a national event highlighting various aspects of the Rabi season.
“We managed to institute timely policies to face the challenges of the delayed monsoon. We implemented a diesel subsidy scheme, increased ceiling of the subsidy on seeds, waived duties on the imports of various feed ingredients and provided financial support for horticultural crop growers etc. Contingency plans were prepared for 565 districts,” he added, stating that States would be provided all assistance to achieve production targets.
Singh reiterated that prices would be kept under control, using the example of prevailing prices for potatoes and onions at Rs.30-35 per kilogram (kg) as compared to Rs.80 per kg under the previous government at this time last year.
Fallow land utilisation & production targets
State governments have been asked to utilise nearly 3.37 million hectares of land that was left unsown during the kharif season due to the shortfall in rain. Production of pulses and oilseeds on such land where moisture content had improved would be concentrated on.
J S Sandhu, the Agriculture Commissioner, informed that the production target for wheat had been set at 94 mt and that the Government would attempt to utilize 3.37 million hectares of land that had been left fallow during the kharif due to the shortage of rainfall. The year’s targets for rice (14 mt), barley (1.75 mt), maize (6 mt), millets (2.5 mt), pulses (12.5 mt), oilseeds (11 mt) and foodgrains (130.75 mt) were also released.
“We are trying to enforce seed certification standards and also further the area application of micronutrients in the soil. The promotion of seed production during the off-season to make up for deficiencies is something we are trying as well planning in advance for summer pulses,” said Sandhu. Strategies to tackle wheat crop diseases like Yellow Rust and Karnal Bunt were underway as well, he added.