Rains spell trouble for UP’s rice crop

The Head of Department,Agricultural Meteorology Department,Acharya Narendra Dev Agricultural University (Faizabad) Dr Padmakar Tripathi said,“Already the rainfall was quite poor in the state with drought like conditions at the time of the early sowing,which resulted in only 60 per cent sowing. Some farmers had managed to sow the early crop with their own arrangements and the rice crop had attained the required maturity. In just fifteen days,the crop would have been completely ripe and ready for a harvest. But these rains have damaged the crop a lot. And if the rains continue,the early rice crop will be completely damaged.”

The rains have even brought bad news for the rabi crop. Oilseeds like Toria and Mustard,which have been sowed just a week ago,have also been damaged. Said Dr Tripathi,“This was the time for the sowing of the oilseeds,as the monsoons are generally over and the air is dry. The oilseeds do not require much moisture in the soil.” The rains,said Dr Tripathi,have already damaged around 27,000 hectares of oilseed fields in Central UP. “We have already received reports from Agra and surrounding districts of damage to oilseeds,which will increase with each passing day if the water is standing,” said Tripathi.

However,there is a ray of hope. It may still be possible to salvage the late rice crop,sown after July. Dr Vinod Kumar Tiwari of Uttar Pradesh Council for Agricultural Research (UPCAR),who is also the coordinator of the Crop Weather Watch Group (CWWG) said that the late variety would not suffer much damage as it is still in the pre-flowering stage. “It is still growing and hence,the rains will not damage it. The late variety in rice is in the panicle initiation stage,just before flowering. So there is hope for this one,” said Dr Tripathi.

With the weather department announcing more rains in the next 48 hours for the eastern part of the state,the farmers in the state are bracing themselves for tougher times ahead.