Drought hits oilseed production

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI, APRIL 25.

A grim scenario of a huge shortfall in oilseeds production and falling foodgrain production is facing the country as a result of the drought situation affecting some 11 States in differing degrees of severity.

Oilseeds production in Gujarat, where groundnut is a major crop, may see a shortfall of 50 per cent this year on account of drought and foodgrain may be down by nearly 30 per cent, according to a Government status report on the drought which was circulated at the all-party meeting chaired by the Prime Minister this evening.

The situation in Rajasthan is no better. The State received 17 per cent to 24 per cent less rainfall last year and this has adversely affected availability of water this year. With 26 of the 32 districts badly affected, foodgrain production is expected to be down by nearly 23 per cent while oilseeds production will be less by 17 per cent, the State has predicted.

In fact, Rajasthan is facing a third successive drought, resulting in serious problem of unemployment and lack of fodder. A cattle population estimated at 345 lakhs is facing acute shortage of fodder.

Although at the end of the last monsoon 28 of the 35 meteorological sub-divisions in the country covering 81 per cent of the area received normal to excessive rainfall, seven regions had deficient rainfall _ Saurashtra, Kutch and Diu (- 58 per cent), Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry ( - 36 per cent), Andaman and Nicobar (- 29 per cent), Kerala, Haryana, Chandigarh and Delhi (all -25 per cent), Gujarat region and Rajasthan (both - 24 per cent). Telengana also was affected with minus 47 per cent rainfall, Himachal suffered a minus 82 per cent rainfall while Jammu and Kashmir had only 50 per cent of normal rainfall.

At the meeting today, a suggestion was that the Ministry of Health should also be associated with the plans for relief since drought would bring in many problems affecting the health of the people. Malnutrition was a serious worry.

In Madhya Pradesh more than 3,000 villages in seven districts have been affected as a result of scanty and sporadic rainfall during last year's monsoon, the status report said.

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Section  : National
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