No rain for 2 months, rabi crops drying up in Kangra

Rajiv Mahajan

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Nurpur, December 29

Farmers and fruit growers in the lower belts of Himachal Pradesh’s Kangra district are a worried lot as the prolonged dry spell has not only started drying up their rabi crops such as wheat, barley and mustard, but also threatens to damage their citrus fruits.

100% deficit in Dec

• The rain deficit so far in December has been 100%
• The count stood at 88.3% in November, say agri officials
• Wheat is sown on around 92,000 hectares in Kangra

The farmers had sown these crops towards the end of October when it had rained last. There has been no rain since and a drought-like situation continues to prevail in the region. Most of the agricultural land in Kangra hills is rainfed and there are hardly any irrigation facilities available. Wheat alone is sown on around 92,000 hectares in the district.

Agricultural experts say the lack of rain had badly affected the non-irrigated areas and if the situation remained the same for some more time, the crops could face massive damage. Orange, kinnow and galgal crops have also been hit as the fruit is not developing in size, shape and quality. The growers weren’t fetching good remuneration for whatever crops they were selling, said Diwan Singh of Kopra village.

Kangra Deputy Director (Agriculture) Rahul Katoch said the district had recorded 88.3 per cent rain deficit in November and 100 per cent in December.