Kharif sowing: UP draws roadmap for deficient rainfall amid subdued monsoon

UP government has decided that the paddy sowing would be encouraged only when the rainfall activity is abundant for the water-intensive crop

With the spectre of sub-optimum rainfall looming large in the Northern states, the Uttar Pradesh government has started to brace up for deficient rainfall in the backdrop of the kharif sowing season underway.

The multipronged strategy includes encouraging farmers to sow less water-intensive crops such as millets, optimally harnessing canals and tube wells for irrigation, going in for paddy only if monsoon activity picks up and motivating farmers to seek crop insurance cover.

So far, the monsoon activity has largely been subdued in UP with the state receiving only about 166 mm of rainfall since June 2018 against normal downpour of 356