Ministry advisory on crops envisages 102% rainfall

For the first time, ministry drafts a plan for rabi, kharif handling.

The agriculture ministry has prepared a crop plan for the current kharif and the coming rabi (winter) seasons keeping in mind all possible southwest monsoon scenarios. It’s for the first time the ministry has drafted such a plan.

Prepared as part of the recommendations of a working group on agriculture production under the National Food Security Mission, the plan envisages 102 per cent average long-period rainfall, with four per cent deviation either way on an average across the country.

While the plan is being distributed to all states, a district-wise plan is being prepared by the Central Research Institute for Dry Land Agriculture, Hyderabad, to be completed by September-October. There is also a brief contingent plan for rabi season 2010-11, since the ministry has forecast that the southwest monsoon may be an extended one and the excess water could be used for rabi.

With rainfall occurring in time in August, the mountainous northern part should have farmers growing moong and mesh as grain crops, cluster beans and cowpea as vegetables and bajra as fodder, the ministry has advised. Similarly, it has advised bajra, guar and cowpea as grain crops and fodder in western UP; sesame and green gram as grain crops and sorghum as fodder for eastern Rajasthan; hybrid bajra, green gram, black gram, sesame, short-duration rice varieties, cowpea and guar as grain crops in eastern UP; sunflower, pigeon pea, castor for Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh; pigeon pea, castor pear millet and maize for Vidharba.

For Gujarat, it has advised castor, cluster beans and sorghum as fodder; black gram, maize, sorghum and sesame for Saurastra and Kutch; niger, black gram, radish, beans, cowpea, horse gram and sesame for rain-fed Orissa, and early varieties of rice for shallow submerged land in Orissa. For the southern region, it has advised sunflower hybrids, finger millet, red gram and groundnut; for south interior Karnataka, groundnut; and pearl millet, green gram, sorghum and horse gram for Rayalaseema.

For the flood affected parts of Punjab and Haryana, it has suggested that basmati rice varieties be planted and regrowth of paddy crops pushed up in areas where flood water has receded, through use of urea. Maize can be planted as an excellent substitute for rice and moong, while urad and cowpea grown in areas where flood water receded late.

There is also detailed advice on crop planting and watering schedules. The advisory also suggests what to do if there is rain at the end of September and how to handle excess rain for early rabi sowing. The plan also has various suggestions on soil and water management practices, use of surface and ground water during drought, and livestock management.