Amid reports of drought causing a spurt in farmers’ suicides in states like Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra, the late arrival of rains in most parts of the country has brought some cheer to agriculturists, although what’s lost is lost.
Heavy showers lashed northwest, central and eastern parts of the country on Thursday providing the much-needed respite from unending heat and humid conditions. The weatherman has predicted heavy downpour for the next 36 hours in northwest and central India, followed by mild showers till September 14.
Senior officials of the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said the showers were a result of a low pressure area that had formed over Madhya Pradesh. A cyclonic pressure above Pakistan and Punjab that is being supported by moisture-laden winds from the Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal have intensified the rainfall.
Despite the heavy showers, it is still the weakest monsoon in seven years. The late rains cannot recover the crop lost due to shrunken sowing areas. “But it is good for the standing crops and also for the coming season,” said food and agriculture policy analyst Devinder Sharma.
Toria sowing has begun and will be followed by mustard and then gram, he said. The moisture in the soil will be good for these crops, Sharma said. The duration of the rains has been well spread out instead of a torrential downpour, which is over in a couple of hours, resulting in the water flowing away instead of sinking in the soil.
