New Delhi, July 10 (Inditop.com) Admitting that the delayed monsoon was posing a serious problem, the government Friday hoped the situation would “improve soon”.
“The problem is serious,” Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar said during question hour in the Rajya Sabha, adding: “I hope the situation will improve soon.”
Pawar said the worst affected states were Punjab, Haryana, western UP and Himachal Pradesh.
“The government is implementing a contingency plan to provide seeds and fertilisers to the states where seeds are sown before the monsoon sets in as this process would have to be gone through once again,” Pawar said.
According to the latest estimates of the India Meteorological Department (IMD), cumulative seasonal rainfall during this year’s monsoon has so far been 43 percent below the long-term average.
Out of 36 meteorological sub-divisions, rainfall was excess or normal in seven and deficient or scanty in 29 meteorological sub-divisions.
The IMD has announced the monsoon in the country to be “below normal” this year.
India receives 75 percent of its annual rainfall during the southwest monsoon, between June and September. Thus, this period is crucial for India’s food production, as 60 percent of the country’s farms depend on rain.
