Pulses output in Chhattisgarh to decline on heavy rain

Somesh Yadav, a farmer in Dharampura village of Kawardha district in Chhattisgarh, was in a state of shock soon after monsoon set in. Not because of scanty rainfall, but owing to the heavy rain that lashed the region.

In his two acres of field, Yadav had taken soybean crop in this kharif season. After sowing, the region witnessed heavy rainfall and the field was filled with water. “At one point of time, I thought seeds would get destroyed because of excess water and the crop would damage this year because of excess rain,” Yadav told Business Standard.

But luckily, a dry spell prevailed for a week in mid-July and brought respite for Yadav. However, many farmers taking oilseeds and pulses crop during the kharif season may not be as lucky as Yadav. For, the wet soil following water-logging in the fields has been preventing them to sow pulses or oilseeds.

“The fields are wet enough to prevent sowing of pulses and oilseeds as the state had witnessed good rain though the monsoon-hit Chhattisgarh late this year,” Sanket Thakur, agriculture scientist and director of Agricon, a non-government organisation working in agriculture sector, said.

According to Thakur, the production of pulses and oilseeds would be affected this kharif season. But the excess water in the fields is a good sign for the paddy crop. The state government had estimated to sow paddy in 3.5 million hectares in the kharif season 2010-11 with a targeted yield of 6.4 million tonnes.

“As of now, state had received about 500 mm of rain as against average rainfall of 1334 mm and sowing of paddy had been completed in 2.7 million hectares,” Deputy Director with state’s agriculture directorate R K Chandravanshi said. Though, soybean sowing has been completed in 135,000 hectares, other oilseeds-pulses crops had been affected, he added.

The officials are however hopeful that not much loss would be caused to the pulses-oilseed crops. In fact, they are jubilant that the paddy production would enhance and compensate all losses.

“If the state receives good rain during flowering of paddy crop, it is set to produce bumper yield this year,” Chandravanshi said.

The dependence on paddy is despite the government reducing the acreage of paddy crop slightly from last year’s 3.7 million hectares to promote oilseed and pulses in the state.