Low rain forecast may make 2016 tough year for farmers

Vibha Sharma

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, January 1

Above normal temperature and lack of rain in key growing areas is emerging as a major concern for the government in the New Year.

Worried that 2016 may go down as another below-the-mark year after two consecutive droughts that ravaged India’s farm economy, Agriculture Ministry officials say they are keeping fingers crossed for an “improvement in weather situation” during the ongoing Rabi season.

The Met office, they say, has predicted normalisation of minimum temperature and rain from January 4 onwards, factors that will all impact Rabi sowing and quality of grains. The lack of residual moisture in the soil and above normal temperatures has adversely affected sowing of key crops such as wheat, pulses and oil seeds in the ongoing Rabi season. According to the data released by the Ministry today, as on January 1 wheat has been sown in 271.46 lakh acres as against 293.16 lakh acres on the same day last year.

As on date, the total area under Rabi crops stands at 541.12 lakh hectares, significantly lower than 567.63 lakh acres of last year on the same date. Pulses have been sown in 128.24 lakh hectares as against 131.33 lakh acres last year. Oilseeds, another commodity for which the country is dependent on imports along with pulses, has been sown in 71.47 lakh hectares as against 76.11 lakh hectares last year.

Adding to the worries is the reduced water storage level in reservoirs across the country. In the past weeks since October 1, 2015, except for southern Peninsula and Kashmir, most of the country recorded deficient rains in the post-monsoon season.

A potential reduction in wheat output is unlikely to have any major impact on the prices as there is sufficient buffer and strategic reserve stocks available with the Food Corporation of India and other agencies, officials say. However, lower production means less profits for farmers and also an adverse impact on general sentiments, they admit.

Meanwhile, recounting initiatives taken by the government in the past 18 months for development of the agriculture sector and welfare of farmers, Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh today said steps such as promotion of Soil Health Card Scheme, creating more irrigation resources, encouraging organic farming and linking agriculture mandis to common platform would remain the focus of activities of his ministry.