Chandigarh, September 10
The late burst of rain in August and September has dispelled fears of drought-like conditions in Haryana. The state’s rain deficit is down from 73% at the end of July to about 30% as of Monday.

Output would be normal for crops such as paddy and cotton, but production of crops such as bajra and oilseeds would be affected in a major way, sources in the agriculture department said.

“Revival of the monsoon in August and September has allayed fears of drought-like conditions. The state is on its way to normal kharif crop production,” said BS Duggal, Additional Director (Agriculture).

Deficient rainfall had taken a toll on the sowing of kharif crops in Haryana. Crops could be sown over only 21.64 lakh hectares as against the target of 30.75 lakh hectares.

In June and July, overall rainfall deficiency was pegged at 73%, affecting the sowing of crops. As against a target of 6 lakh hectares, only 2.15 lakh hectares (35%) could be covered under bajra, a major crop of the state.

Similarly, jowar could be sown over only 0.60 lakh hectares as against a target of 0.80 lakh hectares. The percentage of area covered under other crops was cotton (87%), paddy (82%), maize (47%), summer moong (60%), pulses (38%), oilseeds (40%) and guar (60%).

Poor rainfall pushed up input costs, particularly for paddy-sustaining, which through repeated irrigation cycles is a costly proposition in a power-deficit state like Haryana.

During a meeting with Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar in Chandigarh on August 10, Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda had demanded a drought package of Rs 4,080 crore to compensate the farmers and the state government, which purchased electricity at a high cost so farmers could sustain their crops. With the monsoon seeing a revival, the state’s demand for drought relief would not hold much ground, official sources said.

Meanwhile, Gurnam Singh, president of the Haryana unit of the Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) demanded a compensation of Rs 10,000 per acre for farmers who braved drought-like conditions and sustained crops, particularly paddy, by incurring high input costs.

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