New hope in agriculture: Pre-monsoon hurricanes increase soil moisture

- Ubhi Bazar ઃ Dilip Shah

- Summer before monsoon usually dries up the soil moisture this year instead of the opposite situation this year.

At a time when the wind of self-reliance is blowing in the country, the government has started efforts to increase domestic production of various agricultural commodities, but only time will tell how successful these efforts will be. Earlier, the government had promised to double the income of farmers, but then the country's farmers raised the issue by raising various issues. According to agricultural experts, in fact, it is necessary to increase the fertility of agricultural land. In addition, getting more produce per hectare can also play a key role. Experts say that just increasing the area under cultivation will not lead to self-sufficiency. The yield per hectare in agricultural products in different countries of the world remains significantly higher than our average and it is necessary to find out the reason and move in that direction. Meanwhile, according to agricultural experts, the recent two hurricanes in the country have caused a lot of damage on the one hand, while the black debong clouds of the hurricane have also seen a silver core. Experts in the field said that what is known in English as Silver Lining in Black Clouds is naturally created against India after these two storms and especially for the country's agricultural world. These two pre-monsoon storms have resulted in extensive rainfall in various parts of the country and have resulted in significant infiltration of water into the ground. Humidity has risen in the wake of hurricanes and rains, and only areas with low humidity are now excluded, experts said. Usually the recent months in which these hurricanes came. These months are considered as summer months and in such months miraculous conditions have been created due to rains and increase in soil moisture. Conditions like rain surplus have been created before the monsoon and such surplus is not negligible but significant. Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra Vs. Such a situation is especially prevalent in the states.

However, a question is currently being asked in the agricultural markets and the farming community. The question is whether this extra moisture is good for kharif planting. According to agricultural experts, moisture alone cannot support the crop for a long time and long-term monsoon rains are essential but if the soil moisture is high, the crop can be shown in a short time even if the rains are delayed. However, in states like Punjab and Haryana, where the situation is different, farmers have been getting the full benefit of the irrigation scheme and farmers there are not dependent on the monsoon. There are different cropping patterns. However, the cyclone has also adversely affected farmers in coastal coastal areas of Bihar and Orissa. Meanwhile, standing crops in various areas have also been affected due to the hurricane. Before the monsoon, experts were hoping that if the wind speed was favorable now, the level of soil moisture would be maintained significantly.

Meanwhile, the monsoon forecast has been promising. The country is expected to receive good rainfall this year. Before such a promising monsoon, the moisture content of the soil has already increased. Southwest monsoon plays a key role for agricultural crops in the country. Out of the total annual rainfall in the country, 3% is due to the southwest monsoon. Southwest monsoon is considered important for rice, pulses and coarse grains. The months of June, July and August are especially important in the monsoon season in the country. Southwest monsoon is considered important for both kharif and sun crops. When the southwest monsoon is good, the planting of ravi crop in the country is also good and such planting of ravi crop starts in November-December and the crop is harvested in March-April. About 70 per cent of the total production of foodgrains in the country used to take place earlier in the kharif season but this situation has changed in the last 10 to 20 years and now the production of foodgrains in both the seasons is almost equal to the percentage of total production. On the contrary, it is often seen that more grains ripen in the sun season than in kharif. Wheat is harvested in large quantities, especially during the Ravi season. For crops like cotton and potatoes, unseasonal rains often play a villainous role, experts said. Heavy non-seasonal rains in September last year adversely affected the soybean crop in Madhya Pradesh. Onions and potatoes were also affected and prices were seen going up. In India, not normal but extensive rainfall is considered essential for the agricultural sector. Although non-seasonal rains occur in September-October, some crops are affected, but at the same time, such rains prove to be excellent for the crop. This is because such rainfall increases the amount of water in the soil which proves to be beneficial for sun crops. All eyes are now on the arrival and progress of the monsoon.