Mumbai: The situation on the agriculture front is grim as of now, for want of adequate rain in Maharashtra. As per the data from the agriculture department, only one per cent of sowing has taken place so far. The department has issued an advisory to farmers, urging them not to start sowing operations until 75 to 100mm rainfall is received in their respective areas.
There have been no rains or very little of it in 18 of the 36 districts. As of June 17, sowing has taken place on 1,47,000 hectares, which is a paltry one per cent. Generally, by mid-June, sowing ought to have been completed in 54 lakh hectares but with only 90mm rainfall recorded so far, as against the 120.4mm received last year, the proceeding has been stalled. The decrease in soil moisture due too has become a matter of concern.
“As the third week of June draws to a close, only one per cent sowing has been done across the state. Against the estimate of sowing on 155 lakh hectares, it has been completed on only 1,47,000 hectares, for want of rains. The area under kharif crop in the state is up to 36.37 lakh hectares - oilseeds (groundnut, sesame, sorghum, sunflower, soybean) on 41.58 lakh hectares and cotton on 42 lakh hectares. Based on the Indian weather bureau’s forecast, the agriculture department expects rainfall to pick up and only after that will the sowing operations will gather momentum,” said a senior agriculture department official, talking to The Free Press Journal. “The state has recorded minimal pre-monsoon showers and on top of this, the progress of the south-west monsoon too is quite subdued. In view of this, soil moisture has drastically reduced and as a result, even sown seeds are not germinating,” the official added.
Sowing operations would go to seed unless the field holds three to four inches of moisture, the official explained. “This may force farmers to go in for double sowing, which is not a viable proposition. Therefore, farmers have been told not to rush into sowing now, but instead, wait till their respective areas receive 75 to 100mm rainfall,’’ he added.
According to the agriculture department, districts receiving insufficient rainfall in June include Nanded, Parbhani, Hingoli, Dhule, Nandurbar, Solapur, Sangli, Aurangabad, Jalna, Beed, Latur, Osmanabad, Buldana, Washim, Yavatmal, Wardha, Nagpur and Chandrapur districts. With a rain deficit in these districts currently, as compared to the previous year, sowing has been delayed.
The officer said in the kharif 2021-22 season, sowing had been completed on 155.15 lakh hectares, in the corresponding period. The production of cereals, pulses, oilseeds, cotton and sugarcane had decreased by 11 per cent, 27 per cent, 13 per cent, 30 per cent and 0.4 per cent respectively as compared to the previous year. The state had received 118.2 per cent of normal rainfall in monsoon 2021. In the state, 287 talukas had received excess rainfall while there was normal rainfall in 146 talukas and a deficit in 22 talukas.
