
14/6/2018
PUNE: The rains have completely petered out in the city after the 0.6mm rainfall on June 11. Now, the India Meteorogical Department (IMD) does not see the possibility of any rain till June 19.
PUNE: The rains have completely petered out in the city after the 0.6mm rainfall on June 11. Now, the India Meteorogical Department (IMD) does not see the possibility of any rain till June 19.
"There has been a weakening of the monsoon circulation
pattern," a Met official said. "Rainfall activity is very likely to
reduce over interior parts of the south peninsula, central and eastern parts of
India. However, the enhanced rainfall activity over north-eastern states is
likely to continue."
The IMD said the monsoon last advanced on June 12. The cloudy
skies and scattered rainfall since the monsoon's official arrival have been
particularly hard on the farming community in the state. Most farmers have
stalled kharif sowing operations. The state agriculture department too has
instructed farmers to commence sowing only once it begins raining normally. State
farmers stop sowing, will resume process after it rains
Those farmers who had already begun kharif sowing operations
in the state, based on earlier weather forecasts and sky conditions, now fear
the loss of seeds. Amit Naphade, director of MAHA Farmers’ Producer Company
Limited (MAHAFPC), said certain parts of Vidarbha - where the southwest monsoon
had officially arrived - are still to receive proper showers this year.
“There are chances that the kharif seeds that have already
been sown may rot . The clouds have disappeared and we have been having sunny
skies over the past few days now,” Naphade said. “We have been noticing sudden
breaks in the monsoon over the past four to five years. This time too, though
we were hoping for significant showers once the monsoon entered Maharashtra, the
rains have just stopped,” said an official of the state department.
Sanjay Pawar, a farmer from Nashik, said he, like others, has stopped sowing
because of lack of moisture in the fields. “Normally, the southwest monsoon
covers the entire state by June 10. Usually, it starts raining in Nashik by
this time. However, this year, we are still waiting for the rains. Even if it
rains properly for two-to three days, kharif seed sowing operations can be
started in the state,” Pawar told pune-news.com.
Mahesh Shelke, director of Farmers’ Producer Company in
Narayangaon, Junnar, which has about 3,000 farmers under its wing, said sowing
has been stopped. “In places like Ahmednagar, Solapur and some parts of Pune,
the sown seeds face the risk of rotting. Seeds need water. In the absence of
water, soil bacteria can decompose the seeds,” Shelke added.
Skymet Weather Services, a private weather forecaster, said
the weather over Mumbai and Pune is expected to remain dry and warm over the
next few days, though isolated light rains cannot be completely ruled out.
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