Agriculture in India still thrives only on seasonal rainfall. Even today, the farmer patiently awaits the annual monsoon. But if that rain is out of season, then it becomes a disaster. Farmers have been concerned about the rains caused by the western disturbance in recent days.
When the wheat harvest has ripened in the fields and the farmer is preparing to pick up the grain from the market barns. Likewise, mustard has also ripened. Due to unusual rainfall in many northern Indian states over the past few days, wheat and mustard crops have been severely damaged. When the mustard seed was ready, it was dispersed by hail.Furthermore, the mustard that had reached the mandis got wet because of the rain. In fact, because of rising temperatures due to global warming in recent years, there has been a rapid shift in weather patterns.
By and large, the clouds of the crisis are threatening our food chain. The frequency, timing, and quality of precipitation have shifted. The rains are heavy and short-lived. In the past, sudden temperature rises were considered harmful to wheat crops. Last year, despite a full harvest, wheat grain remained low because of an early increase in temperature. Therefore, productivity declined, and the farmer suffered.
In this case, when it rained, people thought that a drop in temperature would help the wheat crop. But heavy rains have wiped out farmers' hopes. Recently, farmers in different parts of the country have suffered from falling potato and onion prices despite an abundant harvest. Somewhere, there were reports of potatoes being scattered on the roads and tractors running on the potato harvest, while in Nashik, there was a hum of turmoil from the onion growers. At the same time, farmers' organizations joined again in Delhi after not receiving a positive response from the Centre on their previous demands. However, rain damage to crops added to farmers' misfortunes.
Rain is expected to fall for a few more days because of western disturbances. In such a situation, where immediate relief is required for farmers, the central and state governments must promote new research and research for crops, that will assist farmers in preventing the damage caused by the effects of global warming. The farmer's worried lines are undoubtedly deepening because of the weather's continued indifference. Second, the farmer is unable to recover his costs because there are no reasonable prices for agricultural products in the mandis.
This crisis will turn off the next generation of farmers. A country with a population of 140 million people could face a food crisis in the coming decades. As a result, far-reaching policies must be implemented immediately. It is also concerning that the recent unseasonal rains and hail damaged crops such as wheat, peas, and mustard prior to harvest.
This may jeopardize the central government's and the RBI's efforts to reduce inflation. It could also have an impact on the government's food assistance programme, which serves 80 million people in the country. On the other hand, the impact of the mustard crop may increase the pressure for edible oil imports. Undoubtedly, the common man will face increased inflationary pressures.
Abhijit Roy,
(abhijitroytatanagar@gmail.com.)