Good showers spur timely sowing

MONSOON WATCH

It is not too often that the monsoon covers the whole country by July 4, some 11 days ahead of schedule, as has been the case this year. Besides, it has brought copious rainfall all over the country to facilitate timely crop sowing and re-filling of reservoirs to sustain hydel power production.

Last year, though the monsoon had set in over Kerala on June 26, against June 28 this year, it covered the entire country only by July 24, resulting in delay in crop planting in several areas. July is the key month for the sowing of kharif crops of paddy and coarse cereals, oilseeds such as groundnut, soybean and sunflower, and pulses such as tur (pigeon pea), moong and urad.

The planting of all these crops is apace.

The inconvenience-causing deluge in metro cities such as Mumbai, Kolkata and Ahmedabad apart, the widespread rainfall in the past few days has added adequate moisture to the soil for seed germination and initial plant growth. And the weather office expects the rainy spell to continue for a few more days though with relatively less vigour in most areas.

According to the National Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasting (NCMRWF), another cyclonic circulation is likely to develop over the north-east Arabian Sea and adjoining Gujarat, Saurashtra and Kutch region around July 8. This may cause widespread rainfall between July 8 and 10. The other weather systems are expected to cause intermittent showers over the rest of the country.

Though the pre-monsoon rainfall between March and May-end was deficient in 20 of the total 36 meteorological sub-divisions, the deficiency was partly made up in June with about 7 per cent above-normal rainfall. The rainfall in July so far is also above normal, though the India Meteorological Department has predicted the total precipitation during the month to be 5 per cent below the long-period average.

Water levels in the country's major 77 reservoirs monitored regularly by the Central Water Commission are generally better than not only those of the last year, but also better than those of the long-period averages. (see chart) The total water stored in them on June 28 was 34.54 billion cubic metres (bcm). This is 61 per cent above the normal level of 21.42 bcm and 18 per cent higher than the last year's corresponding level of 29.32.

Of 77 reservoirs, as many as 59 are more than 80 per cent full and another 8 are over half full. Last year, about 55 dams had above 80 per cent storage by June-end. Only Sriramsagar in Andhra Pradesh and Kangsabati in West Bengal have reported no live storage. However, the past few days' showers have further improved the water status of most dams.

According to the information on crop sowing trends received from states by the agriculture ministry till June-end, the sowing of all crops is in full swing, though that of jute is almost at its fag end. Thanks to good prices received by the cotton last year, the area under this crop is expected to expand. The same is true also of pulses, though some of the oilseeds acreage may be diverted to other crops.

Cotton had already been planted on about 15.2 lakh hectares till June 29 this year, against about 14.7 lakh hectares last year. Significantly, more than half of this acreage, over 8.68 lakh hectares, has been sown with insect protected transgenic Bt cotton hybrids.

Jute, the coarse fibre, has been seeded this year over 7.86 lakh hectares, against 8.17 lakh hectares last year and the normal acreage of around 8.2 lakh hectares.

Sugarcane, the other major commercial crop, has also been planted over marginally less area so far this year in the wake of the current sugar glut that has forced many sugar factories to put cane price payment to farmers on hold. The latest reckoning indicates that about 44.72 hectares have been covered under this crop, against 45.7 lakh hectares planted in the corresponding period last year.

Pulses, whose prices have tended to rule high, have already been grown on 11.35 lakh hectares, against 7.4 lakh hectares till this time last year.

Most of the increase in area is accounted for by moong, which has been planted on over 5 lakh hectares, against the last year's corresponding level of 2.9 lakh hectares. Other pulses, including tur (arhar) and urad, have also gained in area.

Oilseeds have, till June-end, been planted on 13 lakh hectares, against 16.6 lakh hectares last year. The major area shortfall is in groundnut and soybean, which may partly be offset with the spurt in sowing as a result of past few days' rainfall.