Poor rains hits 35.5% of total crop area

Poor rainfall affected sowing in around 35.5 per cent of the total crop area of the country in the week ended July 12.

This was almost double to the crop area that was affected in the previous week, a report by J M Morgan Stanley on the monsoon pattern in the country said.

Till July 7, just 18.5 per cent of the total crop area in the country was affected due to inadequate rainfall.

The overall effect of the monsoons this year would be clear only after this month ends as the bulk of sowing was done in July.

"Based on the monsoon figures at the end of the month, it will be clear as to what extent crops would be affected," the report said.

The regions that received insufficient rainfalls so far were western Uttar Pradesh, western Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Jharkhand, Himachal Pradesh and Rajasthan.

While parts of Saurashtra and south Gujarat received heavy to very heavy showers, almost all areas of north and central Gujarat were yet to get a spell of good rains this season.

As of July 12, the area under cultivation of rice was 7.9 per cent lower than last year, while the area under cultivation for coarse cereals was 18.9 per cent lower than last year.

Similarly, the area under cultivation for sugarcane was 17.8 per cent lesser than last year and area under cultivation of pulses was 1.9 per cent lower.

If the poor rainfall pattern continued, 2004 could well be this decade's worst hit.

India had experienced 19 per cent lesser rainfall in 2002, while the rainfall deficiency as of mid July this year has already crossed the 13 per cent mark, the report states.

In 2003, rainfall was near normal, with a deficiency of just three per cent.

According to sources in the state agriculture department, the delayed monsoon in several parts of Gujarat could have already affected 40 per cent of the crops where sowing had been completed.

Monsoons were scheduled to hit the state in mid-June this year but arrived over a fortnight late.

Meanwhile, a central government team would visit Gujarat and other states where rainfall had been poor. Sources in the state agriculture department said that the team would take stock of the possible damage to crops if the arid areas did not received showers soon.