The Hindu : National : Farmers may have to reschedule kharif sowing

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Friday, Jun 17, 2005

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National

Farmers may have to reschedule kharif sowing

Gargi Parsai

Advised to get ready to face any eventuality

NEW DELHI: With dry weather conditions expected to prevail over northwest India, eastern Uttar Pradesh, central India, Gujarat and Rajasthan over the next three days, the Agriculture Ministry is expected to issue an advisory to farmers to reschedule their kharif sowing.

A further delay in monsoon in the rain-fed States would force farmers to delay sowing, although the kharif cultivation season is still on, agriculture scientists said on Thursday. Their advice to the farmers is to get ready "to face any eventuality.'' For now, farmers have been advised to resort to water-saving strategies and to raise nursery of some late sown varieties of paddy to compensate for delay in the onset of monsoon. This is the right time to re-visit all infrastructure of roof water harvesting for effective conservation of rainwater. In case of pearl millet growing areas as in Rajasthan, farmers have been advised to raise nursery of dual-purpose pearl millet to cope with the erratic behaviour of the monsoon.

Experts have advised agriculturists to go in for large scale plantation of arid land trees and bushes like maharukh (ardu), prosopis juliflora, P. cineraria (Khejri), Jhar beri, rohida, sena, henna, acacia species etc. on wastelands, road sides, farm boundaries, community lands etc. in dryland areas particularly in Rajasthan.

Farmers must remove weeds from the fields and bunds to minimise the insect-pest problems in the main crop season. They should take up summer ploughing to keep the fields free from weeds and pests.

Wherever adequate irrigation facilities are available land should be prepared for the nursery sowing of rice. Reservoirs, ponds, lakes and other water storage structures should be desilted and repaired for maximum rainwater storage for applying "life-saving irrigation'' during the lean period.

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