Click to play videoNew Delhi: Drought has been the word that the Indian government is scared of uttering. However, at a meeting in which 11 of the worst affected states attended, the ministry sought to play down fears of drought.
In fact, food production this year could be nearly the same as last year even as the Bhakra Nangal dam cut off water supply to four states. Central states, southern states of TN, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, Orissa and Gujarat submitted their contingency plans on Thursday to deal with a delayed monsoon. Their key strategy is to be ready with alternative seeds.
Agriculture Secreatry T Nanda Kumar said, "We have an excess supply of five lakh quintals of additional seeds of different varieties. If somebody needs additional seed, its available and therefore in quick time we can recapture and area which otherwise could have been lost.”
July 31 is the deadline for pressing the panic button. Good rains in the last 24 hours in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh and Orissa have resulted in optimistic sowing and in Uttar Pradesh, 78 per cent of paddy saplings are ready to be transplanted.
Kumar said, “At this point, we are confident that we can handle the situation if the forecast of 93 per cent of rainfall in July and 101 per cent in August come true.”
However, all eyes were on the northern states that will face a rain deficit of 19 per cent which would most certainly lead to a drought.
The ministry is keeping its fingers crossed. If monsoon does not hit those states by the first of next month, they too will be called to Delhi. Agricultural secretary also cautioned against the export of foodgrains at this critical juncture.
The message from the agriculture ministry was loud and clear. There is no need to panic yet, the government is pinning its hopes on July monsoons and at the same time is not taking any chances and putting its plan B also in place.
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