Farmers, agricultural labourers and the state
government await the start of August with bated breath, as they feel that the rainfall
in Bihar during
August would decide the agricultural prospects, on which so much of their life
and joy depends.
If the rainfall in the state during July
helped farmers in
growing paddy seedlings and also their uneven transplantation in various parts
of the state, the expected torrential rain in August
and accumulation of water in paddy fields would help in strengthening of roots
and stalks of paddy plants.
Indeed, due to drought-like conditions due to
scanty rainfall till almost the first fortnight of July, government officials
in Bihar got together to meet the challenge of drought conditions, if it
recurred again after 2009 and 2010. As a matter of fact, CM Nitish Kumar himself
alerted the departments concerned in this regard.
"By the last week of July, things have
improved in the state. We do expect good rainfall in August. Government
declares any district as drought-affected according to existing objective
conditions," said a disaster management department (DMD) official, adding:
"At present, things do not seem to be that bad, but everybody is concerned
about the condition and also keeping watch. July rain, even though it was not
uniformly spread, helped the farmers."
As for the ground situation, against the
targeted coverage of 34.75 lakh hectares of land with paddy transplantation in
the state, the actual coverage was to the tune of 14.23 lakh hectares - or
40.97% of the target - till July 24. However, the reassessment made on July 25
showed that the actual coverage, after accounting for the partial damage caused
to transplanted paddy seedlings, was 13.42 lakh hectares.
Similarly, while the target for Kharif maize
coverage was 4.25 lakh hectares, the crop was sowed in 2.96 lakh hectares (or
69.71% of the target) till July 24, and the actual coverage stood at around
2.85 lakh hectares.
Even this level of crop cultivation could be
possible because the state received 342.6mm of rainfall between June 1 and July
24 this year. With normal rainfall for the period being 429.8mm, the deficiency
was around 20%. However, between July 1 and July 24, the state received 253.3mm
rainfall against the normal 260.3mm, marking a departure from the normal of 3%.
What makes the situation dicey is the fact
that between June 1 and July 24 this year, the rainfall has been 6mm less than
the 348mm of rainfall received from June 1, 2010 to July 24, 2010 - the drought
year. In the situation, rainfall in August would, indeed, prove to be crucial
for the state.
Original Article Here
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