Bengal paddy area may dip 30%

Rain is once again playing spoilsport in West Bengal, the country’s largest rice-growing state. Rainfall is deficient by about 30 per cent in major rice producing districts in the state.

As a result paddy transplantation in delayed in most districts, though farmers are hoping showers before mid-August. If the present trend continues, the total paddy acreage in the state could come down by 25-30 per cent.

Normally, the total area under rice cultivation in West Bengal is about 5.9 million hectares, and the state produces about 16 million tonnes of rice every year in three seasons — Aus, Aman and Boro.

In 2009-10 (June 2009-July 2010), the total rice production in West Bengal was 14.9 million tonnes, with the total acreage of 5.7 million hectares, according to the provisional government data. Last year, cyclone Aila, followed by a dry spell had led about more than 10 per cent fall in the kharif rice crop, which accounts for more than 50 per cent of the total rice production in the state.

Burdwan, Birbhum, Nadia and Hooghly are the four high rice productivity districts in the state, and consists of about 27 per cent of the total rice acreage, and 32 per cent of the total production. While in Nadia transplantation is on, in Birbhum and Burdwan it is slow and seedlings have withered and died due to scanty rains, according to Pranab Chatterjee, director of farms, Bidhan Chandra Krishi Viswavidyalaya.

“Rain is less and moreover the Damodar Valley Corporation is yet to release water. Most of the reservoirs are not yet full to discharge water. The meteorological department has said that in many districts the rainfall is less by about 25-30 per cent. We still have time till August 15 for transplantation,” said Chatterjee.

In reservoirs like Mayurakshi, Kangsabati, Teesta and Damodar, which together cater the main rice growing areas, the water was yet to reach the optimum level, said Chatterjee.

In West Bengal, about 62 per cent of land falls under irrigation. Worried of another poor paddy season, the state agriculture department has also swung in to action. The state agriculture minister Naren Dey has shortly called a meeting to assess the impact of poor rains on the crops. “Monsoon is in deficit. We are going to assess the impact at a meeting shortly,” said Dey.

A senior government official said the situation in south Bengal was particularly alarming as a monsoon so far was less by more than 35 per cent. “We have just completed assessing last year’s agriculture production. It will take some time to assess the impact of monsoon. Next 15-20 days are going to be crucial for a good crop,” said the government official.