Monsoon delay threatening Chhattisgarh paddy output

RAIPUR - The delay in the arrival of monsoon is threatening paddy cultivation in over 3.5 million hectares in Chhattisgarh, officials here said.

Last year, paddy yield was around 57 million tonnes in the state. In all likelihood, it is going to be much less this season.

“The longer heat wave spell due to delay in monsoon will result in several fallouts, including pest attacks and wilting ofpaddy seeds, and production may drop substantially,” Pankaj Oudhia, an agriculture scientist based here, told IANS.

“If monsoon continues to elude the state for one or two more weeks, the output will be just 25 percent of the estimated figure,” Oudhia added.

Paddy cultivation, which normally takes 120 days in the state, needs proper irrigation throughout that period.

About 80 percent of the state’s 20.08 million people are dependent on agriculture for their livelihood.

“Last year, the monsoon hit Chhattisgarh by June 10 and we had good rainfall in the second week of the month. But this year the story is totally different and the state is heading towards a drought-like situation,” a senior official at the Directorate of Agriculture said.

The government has set a target of 65.54 million tonnes of kharif crop production - at about 1,850 kilograms per hectare - this season. However, this target is unlikely to be met due to delay in monsoon.

In 2008, the state had sown paddy in an area of 3.61 million hectares and the output stood at a little over 57 million tonnes.