The Hindu Business Line : Kharif sowing still trails; water level doubles

THE water storage level in the reservoirs across the country continues to rise. The level in the 76 major reservoirs has more than doubled compared with that of last year.

According to the Central Water Commission, the storage level in the reservoirs has increased to 79.61 billion cubic metres (BCM), against 34.08 BCM during the same period last year.

The reservoirs had received over 23 BCM of water during the week ended August 5.

The current storage level is 53 per cent higher than the average level in the last 10 years, according to the Ministry of Agriculture.

However, the Somasila reservoir in Andhra Pradesh does not have any water than can be utilised.

The full reservoir level of the country is 131.02 BCM.

Agriculture experts say the storage level augurs well for the rabi season though production during the kharif season could be hit on account of the delay in monsoon rains.

"While cities such as Mumbai and Ahmedabad were flooded by torrential rains, reservoirs in other parts, especially in the western parts, have been filled up.

"This could prove beneficial to the standing crops and also rabi crops," an agri-business industry source said.

The current water level could help ensure a good yield and may make up for the loss in acreage of some crops such as oilseeds. However, kharif production could be around last year's level only, the source said. Meanwhile, coverage of rice, oilseeds, coarse cereals and pulses continues to lag behind. While, the area under cotton, sugarcane and jute has gone up.

According to the Ministry of Agriculture, the area under rice has declined in Gujarat, Maharashtra, Orissa, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh. So far, 223.13 lakh hectares (lh) have been brought under rice, against 227.33 lh during the same time last year.

Coverage of coarse cereals, which had looked up until the beginning of this month, has declined mainly due to the over 4 lh fall in the area under maize.

Sowing of maize has been done in 68.02 lh (72.69 lh last year). Jowar coverage is a tad down at 39.05 lh and bajra sowing has dipped by 1.86 lh to 87.18 lh.

Sugarcane coverage has gone up in Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh, while 7.88 lh have been brought under jute against 7.69 lh last year.

Among oilseeds, the area under groundnut has declined by 3.28 lh to 50.24 lh, while coverage of soyabean is down to 74.36 lh (75.48 lh).

Sowing in sesame has increased by 33,000 hectares to 13.65 lh, but it has slid in the case of nigerseed and sunflower.

But for Rajasthan, pulses coverage has declined in almost all the States with area under arhar slipping to 27.72 lh (31.70 lh).

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