Monsoon progress chart
Wednesday, August 05, 2009
Onion scarcity looms large as dry spell continue
The State is poised for a severe crisis in vegetable cultivation, of onion in particular, if the present dry spell continues for just another week or ten days. Vegetables would become scarce and dear then, making it difficult for the common man to buy them.
The onion crop is bound to start withering if the dry spell continues, says a horticultural officer on the condition of anonymity. The scarcity of onions occurred last a few years ago during the NDA regime.
Onion is cultivated most in Kurnool district.
Of the total extent of around 35,000 hectares under onion cultivation in the State, Kurnool accounts for nearly a third _ 10,000 to 11,000 hectares. Nearly 30 per cent of the crop in the district is rain-fed, which means that the crop will be lost if it does not rain early on. In the other areas, around 45 per cent is cultivated with water from borewells. The depleting levels of ground water thanks to the severe summer and a very bad monsoon make that prospect also look bleak.
The onion crop area in the district, according to the horticultural department official, has shrunk by nearly 1,500 hectares. The crop in Kurnool Rural and Kallur mandals, and in surrounding areas has been affected the most.
Medak, Mahaboobnagar and Srikakaulam districts make up most of the remaining area under onion crop in the State. Of that, close to 20 per cent is rain-fed and about 80 per cent is served by borewells. ``The size of the bulb (onion bulb) in most areas will shrink considerably and the crop may even become damaged if the monsoon eludes the State for another ten days,'' says an official in Hyderabad.
"The temperature might play spoilsport as high temparatures could be detrimental to the crop as the inner parts of the onion bulb will decompose even while the crop is standing,'' says another official.
The government's target of 16,000 hectares of onion crop in Kharif has reduced by 900 hectares to around 15,100.
In the case of tomato, too, the scenario is not encouraging though not alrming. The crop, in most places, is getting ready for harvesting in another 10 days. Chittor district is the major market for the luscious fruit. According to market nalysts, tomato is likely to be sold at Rs 20 a kilo at the farm and the price it may command in the market is anybody's guess.
Other vegetables whose cultivation are likely to be affected by the delayed monsoon are lady's fingers, bottle gourd, chillis and others.
Lady's fingers are cultivated in around 500 hectares in Khammam district. This crop also faces the prospect of drying up if it does not rain in the next few days.
According to an estimate, the State needs, on an average, close to 2 crore tonnes of vegetables a month _ around 9 lakh tones per district. But with many parts of the country and most parts of the State reeling under a continued dry spell, the production is likely to come down at least by 20 percent, which translated into volume, would be around 40 lakh tonnes.
Source: www.expressbuzz.com
Drought-hit districts in Uttar Pradesh
DROUGHTS ARE caused by lack of rain over a long period of time. If rain does occur, it usually isn't enough for the ground to absorb before it is evaporated again. Plants and animals need water to survive, so if there is not enough water they will eventually die from thirst and dehydration. In some parts of India, the failure of the monsoonsresult in water shortages, resulting in below-average crop yields.
Drought occurs mainly due to failure of south-west monsoon (June - September). Climate change is accelerating drought attacks In fact, drought and floods in India are a perennial phenomenon, recurring with regular consistency every few years. True these are natural disasters, yet it is also known that man has the capability to conquer and tame nature. The political system or government's ideology has a major role to play in these issues.
Droughts are, in fact, of three categories:
- Meteorological drought: This happens when the actual rainfall in an area is significantly less than the climatological mean of that area. The country as a whole may have a normal monsoon, but different meteorological districts and sub-divisions can have below normal rainfall. The rainfall categories for smaller areas are defined by their deviation from a meteorological area's normal rainfall -
Excess: 20 per cent or more above normal
Normal: 19 per cent above normal - 19 per cent below normal
Deficient: 20 per cent below normal - 59 per cent below normal
Scanty: 60 per cent or more below normal
- Hydrological drought: A marked depletion of surface water causing very low stream flow and drying of lakes, rivers and reservoirs
- Agricultural drought: Inadequate soil moisture resulting in acute crop stress and fall in agricultural productivity
India experienced 18 droughts during 1871-1990, of which 10 were severe and 5 were phenomenal. While the periods 1901-20 and 1961-80 had the highest frequency of drought. There were six droughts between 1900 and 1950 and 12 in the following 50 years. We have already faced three droughts between 2000 and 2009. There were six between 1900 and 1950 and 12 in the following 50 years. We have already faced three droughts between 2000 and 2009. During the drought of 2000-2001, a total of eight states have fallen foul of the rain gods. These included Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa, Rajasthan, Chattisgarh, Himachal Pradesh, Maharashtra and Tehri Garhwal districts in Uttarakhand. Some states were in their second or third consecutive year of drought.
Let us now talk of the recent scenario in this context in the state of Uttar Pradesh.
Uttar Pradesh has 71 districts. Scanty rainfall in almost the entire state except some districts has created drought-like situation.
Thus, 47 districts have been declared drought-hit, but there are still many more districts where there has been little rainfall. According to a press release 'according tothe Government, districts where there was less than 40 per cent rain and sowing was less than 75 per cent or rain was between 40 to 60 per cent and sowing was less than 50 per cent had been declared as drought affected.'
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