Farmer Ramesh Valvi, 34, hoped to buy a ₹ 4.5 lakh tractor for his three-hectare farm in Maharashtra’s Mandvi village. He saved ₹ 60,000 and hoped to earn another ₹ 50,000 for the ₹ 2 lakh down payment. Valvi planned to arrange the remaining amount from his brother, a construction contractor.
The decadal weak monsoon has left parts of the country with inadequate soil moisture just as farmers prepare for the rabi season. The weak monsoon has also left reservoir storages down. Despite higher storages recorded at the beginning of the season due to above-average rains last year, reservoir levels depleted to 68.6% of capacity on October 15, against 90.8% a year earlier and against the 10-year average of 82.1%.
The weak monsoon The southwest monsoon, which delivers 70% of Indian rains, started weak. The country registered its fifth-driest June since national statistics began in 1901. There was a 39.8% fall from the long-period average. Rains picked up briefly bringing some relief in July but plunged again in August, recording a 16.3% deficit and the hottest August since 1901 as El Nino conditions strengthened. The monsoon ended with a 12.6% downfall, the fourth-lowest since 2001. East and northeast India received 25% less rainfall than normal. Southern peninsular India had 24% less and northwest India 6% less rain. Bihar had a deficit of 32%, Punjab 41%, Marathwada 39% and Kerala 28%. Overall, 17 meteorological subdivisions, covering 42% of the country’s area, recorded deficient rainfall during the season.
With no income expected from another harvest, he expects to use his savings to feed his family. His remaining hope is compensation through crop insurance. Valvi’s predicament echoes many as India’s weakest monsoon in more than a decade raises concerns about farm output, winter sowing and rural spending. The effects are beginning to show in fertiliser and farm machinery sales, while low reservoir levels threaten to extend the damage beyond the monsoon crop. There were also sharp regional variations. Key agricultural states also recorded poor rains. Poor rainfall may have discouraged farmers from spending on inputs, though supply constraints and higher raw-material costs have also affected some fertiliser categories. With little water available even for drinking, Valvi does not expect to sow a rabi crop. His savings, which he had set aside to buy a tractor, will now go towards feeding his family. He is hoping for compensation through crop insurance to help him tide over the losses.
