Monsoon Wraps Entire India, Rain Deficit Down, Kharif Sowing Still Under Cloud

As Delhi-NCR region woke up to heavy rain and allied traffic pain, there is good news too. The monsoon has covered the entire country now.

According to the India Meteorological Department, the Southwest Monsoon has further advanced into the remaining parts of the north Arabian Sea, Rajasthan, Haryana and Punjab on Wednesday. With this, the monsoon covered the entire country on July 9, one day later than the normal date of July 8.

While city folks may crib about the jams and waterlogging, this is a relief for the farmers and agriculture sector. 

After an active week of monsoon, several parts of the country including Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Odisha recorded heavy rainfall.

According to the India Meteorological Department, the rainfall deficit has improved in July. After 33% less rain in June, the deficit had reduced to 17% by July 7.

Due to better rain in recent days, the number of districts with deficient rainfall has dropped from 262 to 178, according to the Ministry of Agriculture.

Monsoon has covered the entire country

The government expects rainfall to pick up further in July, which should accelerate Kharif sowing.

However, several parts of the country have still recorded below-average rainfall this monsoon season so far. Water storage in 166 major reservoirs across the country is also lower compared to last year.

This is impacting sowing of key Kharif crops.

Kharif Sowing Down By 91.95 Lakh Hectares

Union Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, after a high-level meeting on Wednesday, said special monitoring is being done in states including Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Karnataka, Bihar, Jharkhand, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Punjab, West Bengal and Odisha.

Chouhan informed that Sowing has been done in 350.85 lakh hectares in the country so far, which is about 91.95 lakh hectares less than last year. "The delay in monsoon has impacted soybean and cotton. But farmers have been advised to sow short-duration and less water-intensive crops like maize, bajra and moong," he added.

The minister further said that the government had started preparations for this challenge as early as April. "In coordination with ICAR, contingency plans have been prepared for districts likely to be affected and shared with the states."

The Agriculture Ministry has identified 262 vulnerable districts which are under close watch. The ministry has also identified 15 additional affected districts where rainfall deficiency persists.

Government Preparedness

A national seed reserve of about 1.75 lakh quintals has been kept ready to ensure sowing is not affected under any circumstances.

Under the Kisan Credit Card campaign, more than 94,000 of 1.14 lakh applications have been approved till June 30.

Participation of farmers under the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana will be increased to ensure financial security in case of crop loss.

El Nino Watch

Current climate model forecasts indicate that the impact of El Nino is likely to persist on the Southwest Monsoon. Keeping the possibility of El Nino in mind, the monitoring system in the Agriculture Ministry has been activated. The El Nino Monitoring Cell, Crop Weather Watch Group, state-level control rooms and designated officers are continuously monitoring the monsoon, sowing, crop and market situation.