Express News Service
LUCKNOW: The Uttar Pradesh government is likely to approach the union government soon with a report on the slump in paddy production which is expected to be around 30 per cent due to scanty rainfall and seek a financial package to compensate the farmers for the losses suffered by them.
The state government is likely to petition the Centre once the District Magistrates of the affected districts send their block-wise assessment report on losses.
As per the rainfall data released by the Agriculture department, Purvanchal — eastern UP — is the worst hit as it has received only 42.7 per cent of the normal rainfall since June this year. While central UP with 48.6 per cent rainfall is a little better than eastern region, western UP has recorded 52.8 per cent rainfall this monsoon. However, Bundelkhand regions, which usually remains parched and drought-hit, has the best record with around 80 per cent of rainfall.
UP Agriculture minister Surya Pratap Shahi has issued directives to the officials concerned to keep a contingency plan ready to deal with the situation that may worsen, if rain deficit continues in the state.
The minister has asked the officials to compile the rainfall status and sowing in districts in the next two days and take steps to make seeds of alternative crops, fertilisers and irrigation water available to farmers.
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Moreover, the data shows that at least 38 districts across the state have failed to plant paddy and sow other crops to the optimum as the monsoon played truant. In Varanasi division, the target for paddy plantation had been over 4.54 lakh hectare area but the plantation could be held on 4.19 lakh hectare.
Chandauli, the rice bowl of the state, could not meet the target of paddy plantation over 1.13 lakh hectare. The farmers in the district could cover only 96,000 hectare area for paddy.
In other divisions including Kanpur, Azamagarh, Lucknow, Prayagraj, Gorakhpur, Basti, a similar scenario prevailed due to less than average rainfall.
In the wake of the hardships being faced by the farmers due to the damage to their paddy and other Kharif crops owing to the drought-like situation, the state government has already directed the departments concerned to avoid snapping power connections of tubewells due to arrears, suspend recovery of land revenue and also distribute 30,000 solar pumps to farmers.
According to the officials of Agriculture department, at least one-third of the state was under the impact of drought. However, the state government may make an announcement to this effect in September.
As per the revenue department sources, the situation in 60 of the 350 tehsils with scanty rainfall is worrisome. “Though the DMs are in the process of assessing crop losses caused by low rainfall, paddy production, especially in eastern UP, may drop by 30% this year,” said an official of revenue department.
LUCKNOW: The Uttar Pradesh government is likely to approach the union government soon with a report on the slump in paddy production which is expected to be around 30 per cent due to scanty rainfall and seek a financial package to compensate the farmers for the losses suffered by them.
The state government is likely to petition the Centre once the District Magistrates of the affected districts send their block-wise assessment report on losses.
As per the rainfall data released by the Agriculture department, Purvanchal — eastern UP — is the worst hit as it has received only 42.7 per cent of the normal rainfall since June this year. While central UP with 48.6 per cent rainfall is a little better than eastern region, western UP has recorded 52.8 per cent rainfall this monsoon. However, Bundelkhand regions, which usually remains parched and drought-hit, has the best record with around 80 per cent of rainfall.
UP Agriculture minister Surya Pratap Shahi has issued directives to the officials concerned to keep a contingency plan ready to deal with the situation that may worsen, if rain deficit continues in the state.
The minister has asked the officials to compile the rainfall status and sowing in districts in the next two days and take steps to make seeds of alternative crops, fertilisers and irrigation water available to farmers.
ALSO READ: Allahabad HC grants bail to Siddique Kappan’s co-accused while he moves SC
Moreover, the data shows that at least 38 districts across the state have failed to plant paddy and sow other crops to the optimum as the monsoon played truant. In Varanasi division, the target for paddy plantation had been over 4.54 lakh hectare area but the plantation could be held on 4.19 lakh hectare.
Chandauli, the rice bowl of the state, could not meet the target of paddy plantation over 1.13 lakh hectare. The farmers in the district could cover only 96,000 hectare area for paddy.
In other divisions including Kanpur, Azamagarh, Lucknow, Prayagraj, Gorakhpur, Basti, a similar scenario prevailed due to less than average rainfall.
In the wake of the hardships being faced by the farmers due to the damage to their paddy and other Kharif crops owing to the drought-like situation, the state government has already directed the departments concerned to avoid snapping power connections of tubewells due to arrears, suspend recovery of land revenue and also distribute 30,000 solar pumps to farmers.
According to the officials of Agriculture department, at least one-third of the state was under the impact of drought. However, the state government may make an announcement to this effect in September.
As per the revenue department sources, the situation in 60 of the 350 tehsils with scanty rainfall is worrisome. “Though the DMs are in the process of assessing crop losses caused by low rainfall, paddy production, especially in eastern UP, may drop by 30% this year,” said an official of revenue department.
