Industry Odisha Bureau, Jul 2: Even though the month of July has already set in, and despite the onset of annual south-west monsoon in India, its dilly-dallying gesture further aggravated by deficit rainfall has reportedly made the Indian farmers apprehensive of being hit hard this season as well as seemed to be prompting them to gear up for deserting their respective villages in quest of greener pastures in the hustle and bustle of the urban belt.
“Since the Kharif season in India is chiefly dependent on the adequate rainfall during the annual south-west monsoon, a large rainfall deficit will definitely take a heavy toll on the Indian farmers’ annual income, and the heavy loss can’t be recouped in the next year’s season,” reportedly opined experts.
Media reports from the ground zero have revealed that, “In many states of India, the anxious farmers experience an overcast sky, drizzling for a while, but no heavy downpour for a longer duration so that the soil gets fully soaked and conducive for the seedling and transplant seedling activities.”
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has reportedly made a forecast of “10% deficit for the June-September monsoon season this year,” while it has also reportedly made a forecast of “6% rainfall deficit in July”.
Going by such a discouraging forecast, experts have reportedly remarked that, “If the IMD’s forecast proves correct, India could witness its weakest monsoon in more than a decade.”
Media reports reveal: “While paddy (rice) is a water-intensive crop, it occupies more than 37% of India’s Kharif acreage. Pulses, oilseeds and cotton require less water but have much lower irrigation coverage.”
As per the data reportedly released on June 29 by the Union Agriculture Ministry, “Scanty rainfall in June has already delayed Kharif sowing. Total sown area is 23% lower year-on-year (YoY), while other rain-fed crops, such as oilseeds, cotton and pulses have seen 30–50% lower planting so far.”
Apart from this, El Nino has come as sword of Damocles dangling over the heads of the Indian farmers.
According to the experts, “El Nino is the warm phase of the Pacific Ocean that weakens monsoon rainfall across South Asia, while 12 of 17 El Niño years have coincided with below-normal or deficient rainfall in India since 1951. Moreover, El Nino is expected to peak toward the end of 2026 and continue until March 2027. Thus, the impact of a weak monsoon could also extend into the Rabi season beginning in November.”
