Untimely heavy rains might affect paddy crop in North India

Early rain is considered good for paddy. However, in North India, heavy and unusually early rains have raised a red flag for the crop. In many places, farmers who were not expecting heavy rains so early had not even prepared their field for sowing. Also, low-lying areas have been flooded. If things don't improve soon, farmers will have to re-sow.

"If the fields remain drowned in water for more days, we will have to re-sow and replant. The availability of seeds and other inputs to farmers from the state agriculture departments and agriculture universities can nullify the loss because we have time," said Trilochan Mohapatra, director, Rice Research Institute, Cuttack.

According to Mohapatra, paddy is grown in 44 million hectares in India. Of this, 12 per cent is sown in the rabi season in eastern and southern states. Farmers, particularly in Punjab and Haryana, have their own worries. According to Jagtar Singh Mehma, a farmer from Bhatinda district of Punjab, the untimely rains could affect the crop if they continue for more time. He added that in the low-lying area of Bhatinda, farmers might have to re-sow their fields. Re-sowing in wet fields is done manually.

"Labour is scarce and expensive, so, sowing the crop again would put financial burden on the farmers," Mehma added.

Farmers in Haryana, too, are worried because those with small landholdings cannot afford to incur expenses again. Mohapatra acknowledged that north Indian states are in a more precarious situation than states in the east and south.

He added that the crop size is likely to be 104 million tonnes, if monsoon remains good. In the last two years, India registered the same output of rice.

Taking cognizance of shrinking land under paddy due to rapid urbanisation and industrialisation, Mohapatra said the new improved varieties can push the average yield from 2.5 tonnes per hectare to 3.5 tonne per hectare. Punjab is the only state in India having 3.5 million tonnes of rice productivity.

In times to come, scientific agricultural practices will become indispensable to feed the country, added Mohapatra.