After unseasonal rain in March last year followed by a drought, Uttar Pradesh, the biggest wheat producing State of the country, is set to lose heavily this rabi season due to the adverse impact of the change in the climate.
Along with wheat, the output of oilseeds, pulses, peas and chana is also likely to be affected.
Comparatively higher temperatures during the ongoing winters is a cause of serious concern for the wheat-growers in north India with experts fearing productivity loss if mercury continues to remain this way. Besides, experts also fear fast spread of yellow rust — a fungal disease on wheat crop due to warmer winter conditions — which turns crop’s leaves’ yellowish and stops photosynthesis.
“Temperatures at the moment are high. If they continue to remain high then there can be productivity loss in wheat crop. Minimum temperatures in the most parts of the State is hovering around 5-6 degrees above normal. The minimum temperatures should remain lower (than what is now) at this stage for better yield of wheat,” said an agriculture scientist.
“If the above normal temperature prevailing across north India persists for few more weeks then the output of the Rabi will go down by minimum 20 per cent and it could be even higher up to 50 percent. The spell of cold conditions or the cold wave helps the grain filling in the wheat crop, the above normal temperature has halted this process’’, said Dr Rajendra Kumar, director general of the UP council of agriculture research (UPCAR). He added “from 2003 above normal temperature has prevailed almost every year but now it appears to be assuming alarming proportions’’.
The agriculture scientist pointed out that it’s the impact of the El Nino, never seen before in the country which has stopped the growth of the crop. “This time the wheat crop needs low temperature and water for the tillering of the crops or the growth of the green shoots. If the above normal temperature persist then the green shoots will dry up and even the excess irrigation cannot save the crop’’. Said Dr Vinod Tewari of UPCAR.
UP accounts for 33 area under cultivation for the wheat crop at national level and 35 percent of the wheat or about 3 crore MT is produced in the state. Due to earlier drought and now adverse whether the area under wheat in UP has already come down by 12 percent. Annually wheat is sown 99 lakh hectares. As per the latest rabi sowing coverage data released by the State’s agriculture department, over 104.90 lakh hectares land was under rabi crop cultivation as on December 28, 2015, 14.98 per cent down from previous year’s coverage of 123.38 lakh hectares recorded in the same period. In 2010 , the farmers of the State had to suffer heavily as wheat grain had shriveled by 50-60 per cent and in extreme cases in Buldelkhand it was as high as 70 to 80, per cent due to high day temperature ranging between 35-38 degrees. The Union Agriculture Ministry which allows only 7 per cent shriveling had reduced the Minimum support price for the wheat affected by the heat wave conditions.
The State Government had then requested the Center to relax the norms of shriveling by 7 to 20 per cent. The Centre did accede to the request and relaxed the norms from 7-15 per cent, but at the same time, it has also imposed value cut for the damaged wheat.
Meanwhile the UPCAR will hold the meeting of the ‘Crop whether watch group’ here on Wednesday. It is likely to issue an advisory to the farmers as to how to protect the crop from the prevailing above normal temperature. “We will try to formulate two-pronged strategy — the immediate measures and long term measure. The immediate measure is to irrigate the crop, the farmers without assured irrigation facility will certainly suffer more’’. said Dr Rajendra Kumar.