NEW DELHI: Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar
today said that there has been a delay in monsoon rains, but it is too early to
predict impact on kharif sowing.
"Yes, monsoon has been delayed. But it
would be too early to say its impact on sowing," Pawar told PTI while
replying to a question whether sowing of kharif crops has been hit due to delay
in monsoon.
He noted that monsoon was delayed in June in
2008, but rains picked up in July-August. "It happened in 2008. June had
gone dry but July and August received substantial rains".
Asked whether delay in monsoon is a cause of
worry, Pawar said: "I will be able to say in the last week of this
month".
The minister said that farmers have started
preparing fields for paddy sowing in some parts of the country.
Besides paddy, other major kharif crops are
pulses, oilseeds and cotton.
South-west monsoon, the lifeline of Indian
agriculture, had reached Kerala on June 5, four days later than the normal date
of June 1. It further advanced mainly along the west coast and over north
eastern states on June 6. The country received 32 per cent less rainfall during
the first week of June.
Monsoon rains are crucial for agriculture as
only 40 per cent of the cultivable area is under irrigation. The farm sector
contributes about only 15 per cent to the country's Gross Domestic Product
(GDP), but it employs about 60 per cent of India's population.
On the back of good monsoon in 2010 and 2011,
the country harvested a record foodgrains production of 245 million tonnes and
252.56 million tonnes, respectively.
Out of 36 meteorological subdivisions, the
rainfall has been excess over 4, normal over 5, deficient over 6, scanty over
20 and no rain over 1 subdivisions. North eastern states have received excess
rainfall during the period, as per the data compiled by the India
Meteorological Department (IMD).
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