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Rains in Rajasthan revive hopes

Harish Oamodaran

NEW DELHI, July 3

MONSOON showers over the last two days in Jaipur, Udaipur, Dungarpur and parts of Kota have brought a sigh of relief to the farmers and policymakers in Rajasthan. Besides, intermittent rains have also been reported from pockets of Barmer, the epicentre o f the recent drought.

According to the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), the total rainfall in June -- the opening month of the south-west monsoon -- was only 23 mm in East Rajasthan (against the normal 48 mm for the month) and seven mm in West Rajasthan (again st the normal 24 mm).

``We are not much worried now about West Rajasthan (the desert districts of Jaisalmer, Bikaner and Barmer) since the monsoon's scheduled arrival there is anyway only after July 15. What is bothering us more is the situation in the eastern parts, particul arly around Udaipur and Kota'', said Ms. Krishna Bhatnagar, Principal Secretary (Agriculture), Government of Rajasthan.

The monsoon in these divisions has arrived more than a week late, which makes it almost on the `outer limit of normal'. ``But the important thing is that it has rained and the jinx has finally been broken. Had it not rained for another week or so, we wou ld certainly have had a crisis in hand'', she said, while referring to the last year's kharif crop, which was a `virtual write-off'.

The poor monsoon precipitation also left behind very little residual moisture for the ensuing rabi gram crop. The only crops to do reasonably well in 1999-2000 were wheat and mustard, which any way are grown in the eastern and northern districts having a ssured irrigation facilities.

Rajasthan's main kharif crops are bajra, maize and jowar, whose respective acreages are 4.5 million hectares, 0.95 lakh ha. and 0.55 million ha. With hardly one per cent of the area under bajra and jowar and three per cent under maize being irrigated, pr oduction prospects for these crops are entirely monsoon-dependent.

The State also grows cotton in about 65 lakh ha., the bulk of which is in Ganganagar, where there is 100-per cent irrigation, courtesy the Indira Gandhi canal. The main bajra belt is around Jaipur, with maize being concentrated in the tribal Banswara reg ion. Besides, there is an area of seven lakh ha. around Kota that grows soyabean.

In western Rajasthan, the main crop is guarseed, which forms the main input for the Rs. 700-crore guargum export industry. Rajasthan currently accounts for roughly 30 per cent of the country's bajra and 75 per cent of guarseed production.

``There is still enough time left for sowing, which can be stretched till the third week of July. Farmers here sometimes sow bajra up to three times till the rains arrive to facilitate germination. Right now, the rains are crucial more from the fodder an gle, since livestock forms the backbone of the agricultural economy in the arid zone'', Ms. Bhatnagar said. The State Government is continuing to transport fodder by rail to the deficit regions, including Udaipur. ``A good spell of rains now will make a ll the difference to the fodder situation. In any case, we plan to do a detailed crop-wise review on July 10'', she added.