Drought threat looms as withered crops in Jharkhand await rain

Drought threat looms as withered crops in Jharkhand await rain
MANOJ PRASAD

RANCHI, AUG 28: Though several places in the country are reeling under continuous rain and floods, the yet-to-be-formed state of Jharkhand faces the threat of drought unless rains begin this week and are sustained till October 1.

According to official reports on crop conditions, 180 of the 212 blocks in Jharkhand had unseasonal rains during May and received 38 per cent of the normal average monsoon rainfall during June-July.

In all, 86 blocks received between 25 to 50 per cent of the normal rainfall, 45 received between 26 and 45 per cent, 18 received more than 70 per cent and 173 received less than 50 per cent of normal rainfall during the period July 1-August 15.

Parts of South Chhotanagpur received a good quantity of rainfall as compared to Santhal Pargana, Palamau and North Chhotanagpur divisions. As a result, approximately only 50 per cent sowing of paddy has been completed in Jharkhand region against 100 per cent during the corresponding period last year.

Although it is not known how many hectares of land in Jharkhand's 18 districts are under paddy crop, the predominantly paddy, pulse and maizebelt of Garhwa and Palamau is the worst hit where less than 30 per cent of normal sowing has been carried out.

In the paddy belt of Ranchi, Dhanbad, Giridih and Hazaribagh, about 30 to 60per cent of sowing could be completed during June-July.

Lohardaga and West Singhbhum (Chaibasa) recorded the highest sowing -- 70 per cent -- of paddy followed by 60 per cent in Ranchi. According to officialsources, the crop would not survive unless the area receives rain. The fate of maize, pulses, millets and oil seeds also hangs in the balance.

The Directorate of Agriculture has informed that it has prepared a contingency plan in case monsoon fails during August-end and September. Joint Director of Agriculture A.C. Jha told The Indian Express the department had alerted its personnel at the block level and block agriculture officers had been instructed to to encourage farmers to shift to short-duration crops like horse gram and sunflower.

``If monsoon fails to set in and pour throughout September, we wouldidentify the critical areas and explore the possibility of carrying out sowing of horse gram and sunflower,'' Jha said.

According to agricultural experts, the moisture retained by the soil during rains in July would keep paddy and maize crops alive till September 5. However, if monsoon fails to set in and there is no rain in September, the standing crop of paddy and maize may wither away.

Last year, these areas had produced a record 140 lakh tonnes of foodgrains. This time the agriculture department had set a target of paddy sowing in 56 lakh hectares in 55 districts of Bihar, but could accomplish it only on 39 lakh hectares.

Almost 21 districts in central and north Bihar have been affected by floods and vast areas in 15 districts, including Nalanda, Rohtas, Bhojpur, Gaya, Jehanabad, Nawada, Aurangabad, Saran, Siwan, Gopalganj, West Chamaran, Begusarai, Munger and Katihar, have had scanty rain.

With the rain playing truant, it is doubtful if the new state of Jharkhand will be able to reap a normal kharif harvest this year.