Crop sowing 40% down due to scanty rainfall

Acreage of paddy cultivation, a major kharif (summer-sown) crop, dropped by 43.56% to 0.239 mha from 0.425 mha in the year-ago period

The kharif sowing in the state has dipped by about 38.33 per cent covering 0.387 million hectares (mha) as on June 21 on the back of scanty monsoon rainfall. The crop sowing coverage area was about 0.628 mha during the same period of the previous kharif season.

The acreage of paddy cultivation, a major kharif (summer-sown) crop, dropped by 43.56 per cent to 0.239 mha from 0.425 mha in the year-ago period. The state government had targeted paddy sowing on 3.6 mha land in its Kharif campaign 2014.

Sowing of kharif crops begins with the onset of southwest monsoon from June.

Besides, 0.260 mha have been brought under the cereals cultivation against 0.47 mha achieved in the corresponding period of the previous year. Pulses, fiber, vegetables and spices sowing too have declined compared to the coverage area in June last year. However, farming of oil seeds has increased from 0.012 mha covered in last Kharif season to 0.015 mha.

The state has set a target to bring 6.15 mha of land under cultivation during the Kharif season 2014. This includes 4.11 mha for cereals, 0.96 mha for pulses, 0.45 mha for oilseeds, 0.17 mha for fiber, 0.36 mha for vegetable and 0.10 mha for spices.

The state agriculture and food production department aims to harvest 9.404 million tonnes of cereals and 0.582 tonne of pulses in this kharif season.

During June 1 to 23, the state has received 57.7 mm rainfall against the long-term average rainfall of 166 mm, with deficit of 66.3 per cent, which is categorized as scanty.

According to met terminology, a rainfall more than 19 per cent above the normal rainfall in the monsoon period (June-September) is said to be ‘in excess’ while 19 per cent above or below normal rainfall is catergorised as ‘normal’. Between 20 per cent and 59 per cent below normal is deficient and it is called ‘scanty’ when rainfall is between 60 per cent and 99 per cent below normal.

According a report of Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology (OUAT), only Nabarangpur district has received normal rain fall. Out of the rest 29 districts, rainfall is in deficit in 9 districts while it is scanty in 20 districts.

“If it rains in July, farmers will go for nursery sowing or transplanting of paddy and may not find time for sowing of non paddy crops in uplands. Under late sowing condition, that is after July 15, the farmers will not be able to sow ground nuts and cotton as there will be moisture deficit in the reproductive stage”, said Anupama Baliarsingh, Associate Professor, agrometeorology department of OUAT.