September rain brightens prospects of kharif output

The fresh spell of rain across Gujarat has helped crops like cotton, paddy etc

After a long dry spell, rainfall in the third week of September has brought hope for kharif crops and for the ensuing rabi sowing.

With the dry spell, report of crop damage in cotton and groundnut had begun surfacing. The spell had begun with the last week of August and continued until the second week of September. Since rainfall was reported as 22 per cent deficient in August, the peak germinating and flowering period for many kharif crops, overall output was estimated to decline by up to 10 per cent. With the latest spell of rain, the fall would be less than earlier estimated.

“Also, the India Meteorological Department has forecast more rain in the next two weeks. More than kharif, the rain will benefit rabi sowing,” said P K Saha, deputy commissioner at the Union agriculture ministry.

With 15 per cent less rain than the Long-period Average, the government estimated nearly a two per cent decline in kharif foodgrain output at 124.05 million tonnes in the first Advance Production Estimate, released on September 16, as compared to 126.31 mt last year.

“There was a drought-like situation immediately before this rainfall in major agricultural districts like Aurangabad and in Marathwada,” said an official in Maharashtra’s agriculture department. “Rivers were also empty; the latest spell of rainfall has filled these. So, more than raising kharif crop output prospects, the rabi season would be much better.”

“Rain in the second fortnight of September is unlikely to bring any additional area under sowing this kharif season. Some recovery can be seen in crops that require the monsoon for final flowering and seeding. For rabi, however, it holds good prospects because of moisture attention. The positive part is that reservoirs have got good quantity of water. Also, in growing of fodder, the rain would help control prices of dairy and similar products,” said Madan Sabnavis, chief economist, CARE Ratings.

The fresh spell of rain across Gujarat, “has helped crops like cotton, paddy, groundnut and pulses survive”, said a state agriculture department official.