The absence of rain has made sure that the agricultural stress is shared by the neighboring states. 246 districts of 10 states in India, which mounts up to 35% of India’s area, is now officially drought-hit.
After Uttar Pradesh, India’s second-most important agricultural state is Maharashtra. The state has 52.7% (61 million) of its 112 million people dependent on the rural economy. The only bright spot in the state’s stressed economy is the services sector, employing 44 million people and likely to grow 10.8%, followed by industry at 5.9%.
During the 2015 kharif (April to October) season, 141.46 lakh hectares seeds were sowed, 6% less than the previous year (150.97 lakh hectare). With rains happening in the kharif season, the previously farmed area during the rabi season is expected to decline 16% over the previous year.
The production of cereals and pulses decreased 18.7% and 47%, respectively, in 2014-15. This year, 2015-16, the production of cereals is expected to decline 41% to 1.05 lakh metric tonne from 1.81 lakh metric tonne, while oilseeds are expected to grow 9%.
As many as 27,723 villages of 43,000 Maharashtra villages have now been declared drought-hit, and nine farmers killed themselves every day in 2015
The government has already spent Rs.1544 cr. to support water conversation project in the 6205 villages across the 34 districts in the state between 2014 and 2016.
Despite irrigation being the priority for the government, the state is unable to increase the area under irrigation. 82% of its farms still depend on increasingly unpredictable rain.
Half of Maharashtra’s budget is reserved for agriculture, i.e. Rs.25000 crore from the total Rs.56997 cr.
Out of 138 million farmers in India, 66 million depend on uncertain rains. Extreme rainfall deficit events in central India are increasing and moderate rainfall is decreasing–as a part of complex changes in local and world weather.
Original Story Published In India Spend.
Image Credit: The Guardian