Difficult to make up for water, fodder and crop losses.
The rainfall that the state has experienced during the last few days will not revive prospects for standing kharif crops. However it will give temporary relief in terms of a scarce resource like drinking water and fodder, experts believe.
Looking at the latest sowing, rainfall and water storage data it looks as if Gujarat is still not out of danger. Official ‘anavari’, an exercise to determine losses of crop, will begin only after September 15. However, it can be said that north Gujarat, Kutch and Saurashtra face severe water shortage and huge crop losses.
“Farmers should not start fresh sowing due to recent rains. The rains are good only for certain crops like tobacco, castor, sorghum, millet and for fodder. However, farmers should restrain themselves from going for any other variety of kharif crop,” head of agriculture meteorological department at Anand Agriculture University, Dr Vyas Pandey said.
Even farmers agree. “The rain is too little and very late. In a normal year standing crop would have reached flowering stage and harvest would start from last week of September. This is going to be bad year for the current kharif crop. Only fodder, millet, sorghum, moong and castor can be considered for sowing,” said a senior leader of Bharatiya Kisan Sangh, Prafull Senjaliya.
“Only crops which were able to get water before this spell of rain would have survived. There are chances of only 25- 35% of groundnut and cotton crop surviving. Losses cannot be recouped with the current rains,” Senjaliya added.
Till September 5, only 16 talukas of the total 255 in state recorded more than 80% of normal rainfall. Most of these places fall in central and south Gujarat. Average rain deficiency in Saurashtra is 62%, in Kutch 79% and in north Gujarat 49%.
Fodder situation is not likely to change dramatically and immediately either. “Situation is gong to be tough for animal rearing activities. It will take at least a month before we can get fodder on account of current rains, which will not last more than a month. Maldharis cannot go back to their villages. A new wave of migration will start after Diwali,” said president of Jan Adhikar Manch, Teja Aahir.
Due to rainfall, first time fresh arrival of water was recorded in 36 dams of Saurashtra region. However, according to water resources department data, storage in 135 dams in Saurashtra has declined by 54 million cubic feet (MCFT) compared to May 2012. It suggests rainfall is not sufficient to cover up the losses. Situation is also bad in north Gujarat where dams are filled to 37.90% of capacity. In Kutch, they are filled to 15.75% of capacity.
Total rainfall in the last 24 hours in dams has also been scattered and moderate. Of the total 202 dams in the state 92 recorded rains in excess of 25 mm during the period and only nine recorded more than 100 mm.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}