3 min readPuneMay 27, 2015 02:13 AM IST
First published on: May 27, 2015 at 02:13 AM IST
Of the 173.4 lakh hectares of cultivated land in Maharashtra, 82 per cent is rain-fed.
With the Monsoon about to hit Indian shores, weather experts and meteorologist say the season might see a long dry spell in July which might be detrimental for agricultural cycles.
According to the long range forecast issued by the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), the monsoons are set to hit the Kerela coast by the end of this month. The IMD has predicted a below normal monsoon at 93 long period average (LPA) per cent of rainfall. The private forecaster Skymet, on the other hand, has predicted a normal monsoon with 102 per cent LPA of rainfall.
Agrimet experts with the agriculture department say that while the advent of the monsoon would be on time, the season would be punctuated with a long dry spell in July. “The monsoon would be arrivingon time at the Kerala coast and it is most likely to cover the country also on time. However, July would see a break. August and September are likely to see normal rainfall,” said a senior officer of the agriculture department.
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Weather expert Ramchandra Sable, who has been studying the Monsoon phenomenon for the last several years, also warned of a similar lull in rainfall in July. “Even June might see break in rains and caution has to be exercised in issuing sowing advisories,” he said. He said that sowing of water-intensive crops like rice should not be taken until more than 65 mm of rainfall was recorded.
IMD data shows the LPA for July is 289.2 mm of rain with the month recording the highest rainfall during the Monsoon. Rainfal in July is crucial for growth of the crops, both in the state and the country at large. Of the 173.4 lakh hectares of cultivated land in Maharashtra, 82 per cent is rain-fed.
Sable and other meteorologists have also suggested that farmers make enough arrangements for storing water in their fields through construction of field tanks and other water saving means. Also, suitable instructions have to be shared with the irrigation department to help in deciding the irrigation cycles to tide over the dry spell.
Of the 173.4 lakh hectares of cultivated land in Maharashtra, 82 per cent is rain-fed.
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