The Centre has issued an advisory to the States to be prepared with strategies for mitigation of a possible drought during the kharif season of 2014.
The biggest worry is that a deficient monsoon will spur hoarding and push up inflation. Prices of pulses, oilseeds, fruits and vegetables can rise.
Drought-mitigation plans ready
Drought-mitigation plans have been prepared for States likely to be worse hit. The worst-affected are likely to be the north-west and central India regions — parts of Andhra Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Jharkhand, Bihar and Kerala.
The Union Agriculture Ministry plans to get the Cabinet’s approval to provide seed and diesel subsidies to the affected States. Already an advisory has been sent out from the Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojna to the States to set aside 10 per cent of their funds for mitigating drought.
Normally, a State is declared drought-affected when it states so in a memorandum to the Union government.
The contingency plan prepared by the Centre has advised States to go in for short-duration pulses and suitable legumes for late sowing. Gujarat, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka farmers have been advised to go in for late-sown varieties of groundnut. For eastern and central Uttar Pradesh growers, the advice is to go in for rapeseed and mustard varieties that can be grown late in the kharif season.
Late-sown pearl millet and small millet has been suggested for Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Odisha and Bihar. Farmers have been advised to go in for traditional sowing methods to preserve moisture in the soil and to keep their livestock cool.
It is expected that while irrigated Punjab, Haryana and parts of western Uttar Pradesh may tide over the situation and the Northeast may get a normal monsoon, the central parts of the country and Gujarat, Maharashtra and Rajasthan may be the worst hit.
