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Monsoon, but not so soon
KATHMANDU, JUL 07 -
Despite a forecast of good monsoon this year, most of the country never got rain even after three weeks. Summer crops crops across the country are affected. The guys in weathercoats had forecast a normal monsoon in South Asia this year. They failed. Rice, maize and oil crops are burning.
Apart from thundershowers and scanty rainfall in a few places in the eastern region, the rest of the country is berefet of rain. Rainfall was around 20 percent below normal in June when a weak surge of monsoon entered the eastern part of the country in the second week of June but it did not advance westward even after three weeks, according to Meteorological Forecasting Division (MFD).
MFD chief Mani Ratna Shakya said due to weak onset the country saw rainfall below normal. “The monsoon is now slowly advancing. Once the monsoon shapes up in a week, we are hopeful this year it will be normal,” he said.
On Wednesday, nearly all 17 meterological stations of MFD recorded rainfall. Paddy seedlings are drying up for want of rain. A farmer from Bardiya district, Bijaya Laxmi Sigdel said no rainfall has forced farmers to leave their land fallow.
“The seedlings are drying up in the fields and only few farmers are able to manage water from canals or boring,” she said. Another report from Rolpa district said that of the total 5,000 hectares of cultivable land for paddy cultivation less than 3,000 hectares have been planted till date.
Joint Secretary at the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives (MoAC) Hari Dahal said due to insufficient rainfall in the Tarai region paddy plantation was affected while the mid-hills and high-hill districts received scanty rainfall. The Tarai region contributes 71 percent of the total paddy production while the mid-hills and high hills contribute 25 percent and 4 percent, respectively. “We are praying for the revival of the monsoon in a week,” he said.
According to Dahal, unlike last year’s prolonged drought good rainfall in a week will improve paddy plantation in most parts of the country. “In Tarai, farmers plant paddy within the first week of August and if there is good rainfall next week, it will be a shot in arm for them,” Dahal said.
Earlier, a statement issued by MoAC stated, the country is experiencing a food shortage of 3, 16,465 metric tonnes this year. The statement further said yield of food grain such as rice, wheat, maize, millet and barley has decreased by 4.3 per cent to 7.76 million metric tonnes this year.
Posted on: 2010-07-08 08:30
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