Deficient rain in Karnataka and Kerala, two major states where plantation crops such as tea, coffee, rubber and spices are grown, could decrease farmers’ income, as yield is likely to drop if the trend continues in the remaining period of monsoon.
Between June 1 and July 13, Karnataka has received 24.84 cm rain against 50-year average of 31.14 cm, a drop of 20 per cent, while Kerala has got 74.5 cm against a normal of 99 cm, lower by 25 per cent, according to the latest rainfall data compiled by the India Meteorological Department (IMD). South India, including Union territories Andaman & Nicober and Lakshadweep, have received 11 per cent lower than normal rain so far this season. But the rainfall in Andhra Pradesh and Telengana are more than 100 per cent of the average, while in Tamil Nadu there is only a drop of 7 per cent so far, which is also considered normal by IMD. “The deficiency could hit plantation crops as well as pulses and sugarcane in Karnataka. However, it is too early to reach at a conclusion as two-and-a-half months are more to go,” an agriculture ministry official said. The weather bureau has predicted 99 per cent of the average in all the southern states during the entire June-September season. Karnataka, from where water should have been released to Tamil Nadu through Cauvery, too, is suffering from one of its worst droughts. According to Ramesh Rajah, president of Coffee Exporters Association, initial estimates anticipate the coffee crop to be 30 per cent this time. The tea plantations too will witness a 15 per cent fall in production. “Scarce rain affect the development of the fruit and hence the crop will be lower and the bean size too will be smaller. Moreover, this time of the year, all the tanks in plantation areas get recharged with water. This water is used for the agricultural purposes all through the year. The failed monsoon will affect the operations in the plantations as well,” Rajah said. For the past three weeks, rains have been sparse, though the monsoons started off well. The southwest monsoon is the main source of water for all the plantation crops, including tea and pepper. Lesser rains will affect the growth of tea leaves and result in lower yield. For pepper, monsoon rains help the growth of the vines. If the growth is stunted, the flowering and fertilisation will be affected during August–September, he said. Even as Tamil Nadu has received not so bad rainfall as a total, the distribution over districts is uneven leading to complaints by farmers about water shortage. Nallasamy of Tamil Nadu’s Trichy district is under tremendous pressure from bank officials who have been asking him to repay the loans he had taken in the previous years. He had hoped that this time he will have a better paddy crop and would repay part of the debt. He should have sown the crop in the second week of June and even after a month his land is as parched as it was in summer. The rain gods have not been benevolent even this year. Even the bore wells, some more than 100 feet deep, are dry. “When drinking water is scarce, how can we think of a crop,” he asked. “We are facing the worst drought in 140 years. Deficient rain and dry rivers have left the farm lands parched. Almost one crore acres of land where farmers prefer crops like groundnut, ragi, maize and millet had withered away six months ago. Farmers are reeling under the pressure of debt from those crops,” said P Ayyakannu, president, National South Indian River Interlinking Agriculturist Association. On June 12, the paddy kuruvai crop had to be sown. Due to the non-availability of water situation, only a small fraction of land has been sown. In place of 29 lakh acres, kuruvai crop has been sown only in around one lakh acres in Tanjavur, Tiruvaraur and Nagapattinam districts that too with the help of bore well water, he said.
Rivers Cauvery, Palar and Vaigai and most of the wells across the states are dry. A tiny portion of the due 65 tmc Cauvery water has been released in the past few months, he added.