No drought like situation, don’t panic: Minister
June 23rd, 2010 - 10:23 pm ICT by IANSNew Delhi, June 23 (IANS) The government Wednesday said it did not expect a drought like situation this year and it was well equipped if climatic changes affected agriculture production.
Minister of State for Agriculture K.V. Thomas said his ministry had been told that southern India has got 96 percent rainfall and central India 75 percent, which he claimed was good for the kharif crops.
“No need to panic. Monsoon normally arrive in central India at the end of June. We don’t expect a drought-like situation this year,” Thomas told IANS.
He said the agriculture ministry would have a strategy to overcome possible shortfall in rains.
“We are well equipped and we have different varieties of seeds and technology to deal with such a situation,” the minister said.
Kharif sowing has started and early data from the agriculutre ministry shows that paddy has been sown in less area than last year.
Till June 18, paddy had been sown in 10.97 lakh hectares across India. In comparison, rice was sown in 11.73 lakh hectares at the corresponding time last year.
However, the ministry had said “the sowing of rice is in very early stage”.
Last years kharif rice production was hit by the erratic monsoon. This year, data from the Central Water Commission says that there is enough water in reservoirs across the country - a vital need for paddy.
- More water, but rice cultivation yet to pick up - Jun 18, 2010
- Bumper kharif crop expected as crop-acreage increases - Oct 08, 2010
- Over 60 percent of Bihar reeling under drought - Aug 02, 2010
- Bihar set for a normal monsoon - Jun 08, 2011
- More wheat, rice and pulses sown this rabi - Jan 01, 2010
- Scanty monsoon hits farming in Orissa - Jul 22, 2010
- Drought-hit Bihar braces for rice scarcity - Dec 06, 2010
- Rice cultivation picking up - Jul 02, 2010
- Good rainfall allays fear of drought in Bihar - Aug 10, 2011
- Haryana seeks central aid to tackle drought-like conditions - Aug 16, 2009
- 'Monsoon to hit Karnataka in June first week' - May 21, 2012
- In Bihar, the woes are not of farmers alone - Sep 21, 2010
- Lack of rainfall forces farmers to sow pulses instead of paddy in Uttarakhand - Jul 31, 2009
- Slow paddy procurement in drought-hit Bihar - Dec 27, 2010
- Despite poor monsoon, paddy sowing picks up in Chhattisgarh - Aug 19, 2009
Tags: agriculture ministry, agriculture production, central india, central water, climatic changes, drought, hectares, june 23, kharif crops, minister of state, monsoon, New Delhi, paddy, rainfall, rice production, seeds, shortfall, southern india, water commission, water in reservoirs