Maharashtra teeters on the brink while Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, two key states contributing significantly to grain production, have already declared a drought, potentially exacerbating agrarian distress and adversely impacting food prices.
Supply of pulses, sugarcane, oilseeds, soyabean and coarse grain such as bajra and jowar, is likely to be hit, with production in the rabi season, or the winter harvest, set to decline between 25% and more than 40%, compared with the previous year, in the three states.
This is on top of the decline seen during the kharif season, or the autumn harvest. Maharashtra and Karnataka are facing this crisis despite a normal monsoon. While the dams in the two states are full, the fields and wells remain parched.
"The two main rainfall giving systems to Maharashtra during the post-monsoon season are the cyclonic depressions forming over the Arabian sea and the amplification of the easterly waves," said Medha Khole, deputy director general of meteorology (weather forecast), IMD, Pune.
"Both the systems did not work this year, leading to deficient rainfall during the postmonsoon season. However, the southwest monsoon rainfall was normal." As a result, foodgrain production is likely to decline by more than 40% in Maharashtra and up to 25% in neighbouring Karnataka, according to government officials.
Kharif production of pulses is also expected to decline by 24% in Maharashtra, officials say, besides a 15% cut in cotton production and 8% in the case of oilseeds.
Maharashtra deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar has said the state is facing a droughtlike situation and the dam water needs to be conserved for drinking purpose. Yet, Maharashtra is yet to declare a drought. Andhra Pradesh has, however, declared a drought in all the 856 mandals of the state and has sought a sum of Rs 3,744 crore as financial assistance from the Centre.
Revenue Minister N Raghuveera Reddy said crops over 34.24 lakh hectare suffered damage due to the drought, for which a sum of Rs 1,886 crore is needed as input subsidy.
Besides, Rs 27 crore is needed for damaged horticulture crops, Rs 120 crore for rural and Rs 77.54 crore for urban drinking water supply in drought-hit mandals, he added.
Karnataka has also declared a drought in 99 talukas in 23 districts in southern and northern interiors of the state, said principal secretary revenue and disaster management Sreenivas Achary. He added that the state has asked for Rs 2,605 crore as assistance from the central government.
