Crop production is likely to increase this year due to favourable climatic conditions, which has facilitated the sowing process of kharif crops .jpg) Monsoon has brought cheer among farmers as the sowing process is in full swing. Last year, delayed monsoon showers hindered the sowing process, while floods in the latter half of the year had destroyed crops. This affected the overall crop production in the country. However, with the early onset of monsoon this year, farmers are pinning hopes that crop production would be higher than last year. Sowing of kharif crops such as paddy and oilseeds has increased this year. The acreage for kharif crops has also been raised by an additional three million hectares and further increase in acreage is expected in the coming days.
As per data compiled by Krishi Bhawan, 20.53 million hectares of land have been utilised for sowing kharif crops in July 2010,whereas during the corresponding period last year only 17.62 million hectares were used for the same purpose. Therefore, it is expected that the production of kharif crops would be high this year.
With increased crop production, there would be easy availability of food grains at reasonable rates. Consumers would heave a sigh of relief as they would not have to shell out extra cash from their monthly budget. This will also help to stabilise food inflation at the home turf.
Measures to be undertaken
Monsoon can also have a negative impact on the production of food grains due to floods. Therefore, farmers should undertake certain measures in order to avoid any spoilage of food crops. In this context, Jay Shah, director of Jay International, a large-sized food grain supplier and exporter in Ahmedabad, says, “Farmers should use water soluble fertilisers as it would mix easily with the soil and enter the roots of the plant, which will improve crop production.” Besides, building dams and reservoirs would help to prevent wastage of rainwater.
“Construction of rainwater harvesting plants would also help to store rainwater, which can be used for irrigation purposes,” says Amit Singh, director of Saroj Ltd, a small-sized food grain supplier in Jalandhar, Punjab. It must be noted that the government plans to introduce rainwater harvesting plants in North India this year.
Sabrina Mitchell |
