Bulletin No.2/2012
28th June 2012

Central Research Institute for Dryland Agriculture
Hyderabad

Status of monsoon and contingency plans for deficit areas of the country

The onset of SW monsoon 2012 over Kerala was delayed by five days and within a week it covered entire Kerala, coastal Karnataka, Goa, parts of Konkan and north eastern states.  Later the activity of monsoon became subdued and it covered southern peninsula, Maharashtra, parts of Orissa, Bihar and West Bengal with a one week delay compared to the normal onset days. During the third week of June the monsoon covered entire Chattisgarh, Bihar, parts of Madhya Pradesh and eastern Uttar Pradesh. The activity of monsoon during the first three weeks of June is below normal in most of the meteorological subdivisions except coastal Karnataka, Telangana, Chattisgarh, Vidharbha, Konkan and Goa, eastern Madhya Pradesh, Orissa and northeastern region.   During the fourth week of June the monsoon became slightly active over Jharkhand and North interior Karnataka. Under this aberrant weather condition, the contingency plans suggested for different states are described below:

Andhra Pradesh
Rainfall over north coastal districts and parts of Rayalaseema was deficit and scanty over Nellore and Anantapur districts. Normal rainfall was received over some districts of Telangana.  So far in Andhara Pradesh, a total area of 12.09 lakh ha was sown as on 27th June against the normal area of 16.15 lakh ha. No changes in the cropping pattern and varieties are suggested in the state.

• Sowing of paddy nurseries may be taken up wherever ground water is adequate which may facilitate transplanting in the month of July.
• In areas where cotton is already sown and seedlings are withering due to break in monsoon, the seedlings may be protected by pot watering and application of fertilizer may be delayed till sufficient soil moisture is available from rains.

Karnataka
South interior Karnataka received 17.4 mm rainfall as against 56 mm (69% deficit)

• Farmers are advised to choose medium duration varieties of red gram in areas where the rains are delayed by more than two weeks.
• Intercultivation and mulching may be done to the already sown crops.
• In northern Karnataka farmers are advised not to sow green gram and black gram at present.
• Farmers are advised to keep the land fallow in area where double cropping (Moong/Sorghum) has been planned, if moong can not be sown by the end of June. No change in contingent crops and varieties are suggested up to 10th July.

Chattisgarh
The rainfall over Bastar plateau and northern hills was below normal and over chattisgarh plains it was above normal.

• In the areas where excess / normal rainfall is received field preparation followed by sowing of kharif crops (maize, kodo-kutki) may be taken up.

Tamil Nadu

• No change in the cropping pattern is suggested till 1st week of July.
• Re-sowing is advocated if the plant stand is very poor  (<80%). Conserve soil moisture by mulching and in situ moisture conservation measures.
• In Cauvery delta zone, farmers are advised to go for timely nursery rising for paddy crop with ground water and adopt community nursery to enable timely transplanting during Kuruvai season.

Bihar

• No change in the crops and varieties is recommended till the end of June.
• In central and north west Bihar where rainfall is scanty, farmers are advised to give protective irrigation to rice nurseries.

Eastern Uttar Pradesh

• Monsoon is delayed by two weeks in the region.
• Farmers are advised to sow short duration paddy varieties like NDR-97, NDR-80, NDR-118, IR-36, Pant Dhan-12 and Susksamrat for direct seedling as well as transplanting.
• Staggered sowing of paddy nurseries at 15 day interval is suggested.

Note : The above is a general overview for the states.  However, ICAR (CRIDA) has prepared district level contingency plans (covering all farming situations within the district), for all states of peninsular India, Maharashtra, Gujarat and Rajasthan.  These plans are placed in the website of the Ministry of Agriculture (www.agricoop.nic.in) and CRIDA.  The details of all crops, short and medium duration varieties to be used in case of delayed onset along with management practices are available in these plans district wise.
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