Rains reappear, but crop production hit
After a worryingly dry spell that left farmers in predominantly rain-fed Vidarbha on tenterhooks for about a fortnight, brief spells of
rain in some parts of Vidarbha have revived hopes of a good yield. The showers have improved the chances of average production of all major crops of the season like cotton, soyabean, paddy and orange.
But experts claim that a delay of over 20 days in the monsoon and the untimely break after that could reduce the total production by 15-25%. And it gets worse. The regional meteorological office says that the ongoing spell of rains may not last long much as conditions suitable for good rains, are still not in sight. ‘‘These rains are a temporary relief ,” said an officer.
The agriculture scientists are, however, optimistic. They say that although conditions are far from ideal, the situation is still manageable. “Except for paddy, most other crops may not be badly affected in Nagpur division,” said J C Bhutada, joint director agriculture (JDA), Nagpur division.
After a worryingly dry spell that left farmers in predominantly rain-fed Vidarbha on tenterhooks for about a fortnight, brief spells of
rain in some parts of Vidarbha have revived hopes of a good yield. The showers have improved the chances of average production of all major crops of the season like cotton, soyabean, paddy and orange.
But experts claim that a delay of over 20 days in the monsoon and the untimely break after that could reduce the total production by 15-25%. And it gets worse. The regional meteorological office says that the ongoing spell of rains may not last long much as conditions suitable for good rains, are still not in sight. ‘‘These rains are a temporary relief ,” said an officer.
The agriculture scientists are, however, optimistic. They say that although conditions are far from ideal, the situation is still manageable. “Except for paddy, most other crops may not be badly affected in Nagpur division,” said J C Bhutada, joint director agriculture (JDA), Nagpur division.