Rain-deficient rabi crops begin to dry up in Kangra

Rajiv Mahajan

NURPUR, JANUARY 2

Farmers and fruit growers in the lower region of Kangra district are a harried 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 the yield of citrus fruits. Winter rain has eluded the region. The last rain showers in this weather were in mid-October last year.

Citrus crops suffer

The ongoing prolonged dry spell has not only affected rabi crops but citrus fruits like orange, kinnow and galgal crops have also been hit as the fruit is not developing in size, shape and quality.

Advice to farmers

In order to save high-value vegetable crops from the ongoing dry spell, the growers should resort to mulching, which will assist in soil & water conservation. — Rahul Katoch, Dy Director (Agri), Kangra

The farmers had sown these crops in the middle of October when it had its first winter rain showers. There has been no rain since then and a drought-like situation prevails 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. The lower hills in Kangra district had no rainfall during the last two months.

The ongoing prolonged dry spell has not only affected rabi crops but citrus fruits like orange, kinnow and galgal crops have also been hit as the fruit is not developing in size, shape and quality. As a sequel, these have failed to attract consumers and fetch remunerative prices to the growers. “The farmers aren’t fetching good remuneration for their crops,” said Diwan Singh and Babu Ram of Kopra village.

The dry spell has also hit vegetable crops in the lower Kangra region. Ragubir, Roshan and Baldev of Minjgran gram panchayat lament that their agriculture was totally dependent on rain and if the existing dry spell conditions persisted, they would suffer huge farm loss.

Kangra Deputy Director (Agriculture) Rahul Katoch said the district had recorded around 85 per cent rain deficit in December but in November 26 per cent rainfall had been recorded in upper areas of the district where soil had adequate moisture across the district in that month.

“In order to save high-value vegetable crops from the ongoing dry spell, the growers should resort to mulching, which will assist in soil and water conservation and soil productivity,” he said.

Join Whatsapp Channel of The Tribune for latest updates.

#Kangra #Nurpur