7 hours ago
Agri department advises farmers to delay kharif sowing due to weak monsoon
Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: The state agriculture department has advised farmers not to undertake sowing for the kharif season at present, considering the overall monsoon conditions.
Tired of too many ads? go ad free now
Highlighting that there could be a lull in rainfall activity with chances of temperatures reaching up to 40 degrees C in Marathwada over the next week, the agricultural department has asked the farming community to wait until the monsoon advances.
"The progress of the monsoon was halted in Maharashtra during the past two weeks and is expected to remain the same until June 15. Therefore, the farming community was advised not to go for sowing hurriedly ," an advisory issued by the agricultural department on Monday said.
K K Dakhore, an agricultural meteorologist with the Parbhani-based Vasantrao Naik Marathwada Agricultural University, said the monsoon has not advanced yet in Marathwada. "Marathwada annually witnesses sowing between June 15 and July 15. Considering the current weather systems, the monsoon is expected to become active in the region soon, producing favourable conditions for kharif sowing," he said.
Ashok Mane, a farmer from Beed, said the showers in May came as a pleasant surprise but produced a set of problems, too. "We made farms ready for the kharif season during summer, but weeds have grown in farms due to unseasonal rain. We have been spending additional money on labourers to remove the weeds before kharif sowing," he said.
Marathwada reported a whopping 178 mm of rainfall in May, which accounted for 1389% of expected showers. The region, comprising eight districts, has recorded around 15 mm of rainfall in June so far. |
