Deficit rain may sow crop worries

If there are lesser rains in August and September, trouble could be in store for farmers of Haryana.Officials of the meteorological department said the state, so far, was almost 28% rain deficit this season.

Surender Paul, director of the meteorological department, told Hindustan Times that so far the monsoon had been normal in Punjab and Chandigarh. “But, Haryana is rain deficit by 28%. Some parts of the state are rain deficit by nearly 70%,” he said.

Officials said Chandigarh had received normal rainfall in the first half of monsoon (June-July) at 423.8 mm (actual rain) against normal 394.5mm.

In Punjab, normal rainfall should be 223.3mm and this year actual rainfall in the state has been recorded 236.6mm. But, in Haryana, actual rainfall is 146.5mm against normal 203.4mm, almost 28% less.

“For now, there are no worry signs. We are expecting a normal monsoon season ahead. But, if there are lesser rains, there can be problems for the state farmers,” Paul said.

He said lesser rains have not affected sowing of kharif crops as there was an early onset of monsoon this year, which facilitated the transplantation of paddy and other standing kharif crops.

The meteorological department data shows that while Panipat has been 71% rain deficit, Rohtak is 69%, followed by Sirsa 57% in Haryana.Interestingly, Yamunanagar received 32% more rainfall than the normal.

In Punjab, the meteorological data shows that there has been above-normal rain throughout the state with Gurdaspur receiving highest rainfall, 34% above normal, followed by Ropar receiving 31% above normal.

In the year 2012, the first half of monsoon witnessed 132 mm rains in Haryana, 187 mm in Punjab and 276.2 mm rains in Chandigarh in the months of June and July.