New Delhi, Sep 28: The upcoming rabi (winter) season is likely to be challenging for rainfed areas due to the El Nino weather pattern, and foodgrain production could be affected, Agriculture Secretary Atish Chandra said on Monday.
Addressing a two-day national conference on preparedness for the rabi season, Chandra said the kharif season was also very challenging, particularly in rainfed areas. Several States struggled first to achieve crop coverage and later to ensure that the crops survived.
Sowing of rabi crops such as wheat and mustard begins in October.
“We are seeing that in the coming season, production is likely to be affected to a large extent. And the rabi season will also be challenging for the rainfed areas,” he said.
Chandra said some states could face the problem of excess soil moisture, while areas with deficient rainfall may see prolonged periods of stress.
Strategies need to be calibrated accordingly for the rabi season, he added.
Calling climate change a reality, he said even irrigated areas have seen untimely and heavy rain in many places, hurting crops.
“We used to think that we will face the challenges of climate change later. But now we see the changes happening, and they are happening at a fast pace,” he said.
While India has achieved self-reliance in cereals, it continues to import pulses, oilseeds and some horticulture produce such as fruits, Chandra noted.
Rabi crops are normally sown in a total area of about 638 lakh hectare, out of which wheat is sown in 300 plus lakh hectare, pulses in 140 lakh hectare, oilseeds in 87 lakh hectare and coarse cereals in 55 lakh hectare. (PTI)
