Relatively longer dry weather with no rain for two weeks has started frightening the peasants of Hazaribagh district. As the cracks in the paddy fields are enlarging in size, wrinkles on the faces of peasants are also getting deeper. According to an expert, if it does not rain within the next one week, the district will certainly fall into drought situation this year.
“The upper surface of the agricultural land is drying rapidly day by day. It is losing its moisture but the paddy crop is still green because the lower soil is still wet,” said District Agriculture Officer Surendra Singh and added that the peasants will have to arrange for irrigation facility as quick as possible to save their crops.
In this weather, possibility of insect attack also increases on paddy plant and the peasants will have to also take care of it. Surendra Singh said that their department is ready to help the peasants to save crops from the insect attack. In his appeal to the farmers he had said that the peasants should immediately contact agriculture office in case of any disease symptom in the crop.
This year paddy crop has been sown in 77,285 hectares of land. It is about 7,000 hectares less than the target of 84,000 hectares. It happened due to delayed and untimely rainfall. Similarly other crops like maize, pulses, oilseed plant, etc have also been sown in less area against the target.
The target for maize was 12,360 hectares while it was sown only in 10,980 hectares. Pulses have been sown in 10,740 hectares against the target of 12,500 hectares. Oilseed plants have been sown in 1,456 hectares against the target of about 2,000 hectares and other local foodgrains have been sown in 1,650 hectares against the target of 2,450 hectares.
This year in July and August rainfall in Hazaribagh was recorded more than average. It was less than average in the month of June when the season of sowing of new crop starts. In June 148.3 mm rainfall was recorded against the average rainfall of this month which is 194 mm. In July and August it was recorded 347 mm and 321.2 mm against the averages of 301 and 299.1 mm due to cyclone.
The experts say that though it rained more than average in July and August but it was of no use because it rained untimely. For paddy and other crops, rain is necessary before sowing and at certain fixed intervals and this year, heavy rain took place twice or thrice for few days followed by long dry days.