With adequate rain, West Bengal expects normal paddy output

After last year's drought, with a 30 per cent dip in output of paddy, West Bengal expects to see normal production this year.

This year, the state government had set a target of cultivation in four million hectares, compared to actual cultivation on 3.38 mha last year. With an average expected yield of three tonnes per ha, the state is likely to produce 12 million tonnes of paddy in the kharif season, against eight mt last year.

Normally, the total area under paddy in the state is about 5.9 mha. The state produces about 14.5 mt of paddy every year in three seasons - aus, aman and boro. Production during the boro or winter season is about 4.5 mt. The other two are cultivated in the summer or kharif season.
 

PADDY PRODUCTION IN THE STATE
Year	Production (mn tonnes)	Area  (mn hectare)
2008-09	15.03	5.94
2009-10	14.34	5.63
2010-11*	8.88	3.57
*Kharif only  Note: Rabi estimates yet to come Source: Government of West Bengal

The kharif season is April to November, when moisture from rainfall plus soil storage is enough to support rainfed crops. West Bengal contributes 14-16 per cent of India's rice production.

Monsoon rains were 23 per cent above normal in the week ended June 22 in West Bengal and Orissa. "We can expect normal paddy production this year, even though earlier there were reports of floods in some districts like Bankura," said Pranab Chatterjee, director of farms, Bidhan Chandra Krishi Viswavidyalaya.

“This year, one could expect slightly higher production due to increase in the use of hybrid seeds in districts like Purulia. However, the use of hybrid seeds have been limited to 10,000 hectares,” said Qutubuddin Ali, a seed producer. The use of hybrid seeds raises yield by 15-20 per cent.

Burdwan, Birbhum, Nadia and Hooghly are the four high rice productivity districts, with 27 per cent of the total rice acreage and 32 per cent of total production.

According to the meteorological department, rainfall deficiency for the country is 25 per cent of the long period average (LPA).

However, this was mainly due to 52 per cent deficiency in central India. The cumulative all-India rainfall till July 6 was one per cent above the LPA.