With the prospect of a deficient monsoon appearing real, the central government asked states on Thursday to hope for the best, but prepare for the worst. At a meeting of agricultural secretaries of Maharashtra, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Orissa, Bihar, Chhattisgarh and a few other states, the Centre made it clear contingency plans had to be prepared.
Union agriculture secretary T Nand Kumar tried to paint an “all-is-well” picture after the meeting, but it was clear the hopes of an average crop yield hung by a very slim thread — that the monsoon resumes by this weekend.
“There is no cause for worry even if the monsoon arrives by June-end. The states have been assured that there is enough seed availability to meet the demand in case a short-duration seed is required,” a senior official in the agriculture ministry said.
Scientists hope the situation would not worsen if rains come in a week, he added.
The states have been asked to keep in touch with agricultural research universities to develop drought-resistant seeds and agricultural methods — clearly, a very long-term view of the problem.
“The buffer for this year is in place, but it is the ongoing sowing season which is a problem. States have been asked to start sowing late, if possible, since the bulk of rain is expected in August. Some sugar-producing areas have reported that instead of the irrigation-intensive sugar, bajra, a coarse grain, is being sown,” a bureaucrat who attended the meeting said.
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