Despite normal monsoon forecast, Centre tells states to be drought-ready

The exercise, Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh said, will help ease any possible impact of sub-par rainfall on farmers.

Though India Meteorological Department has predicted a normal monsoon in 2017 which could be fairly evenly distributed, the ministry of agriculture has written to all state governments to review preparedness for contingency in advance.

The exercise, Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh said, will help ease any possible impact of sub-par rainfall on farmers.
 
Despite having a normal monsoon, around 25-30 per cent of the country’s landmass does not get adequate rainfall in any given season.
 
In 2016, the southwest monsoon was normal but nine out of 36 meteorological subdivisions didn’t get deficit showers.
 
These areas, which fell in southern and western parts, witnessed severe drought-like conditions.
 
Meanwhile, Singh said that 2016-17 was very satisfactory for the agriculture sector.
 
“Normal rainfall notwithstanding, agricultural operations faced disruption in some states during 2016-17 on account of drought caused by aberrant weather conditions,” Singh said.
 
The agriculture minister suggested that an effective drought management centre should be set up in all state headquarters for monitoring the situation and progress on restoration of irrigation infrastructure and repair of hand-pumps should be a priority.

The minister further informed that the Centre had permitted states to earmark 25 per cent of funds allocated under centrally sponsored schemes for drought-mitigation efforts.

IMD, in its first forecast for 2017, had predicted a normal monsoon at 96 per cent of the long-period average (LPA) with a model error of plus and minus five per cent.

Rainfall between 96-104 per cent of LPA is considered normal and LPA is average rainfall India got in the last 50 years.

However, there are considerable uncertainties related to the El Nino and its impact on southwest monsoon.
 
“As per our understanding, El Nino is expected to be developed during the latter half of 2017 that is around July and that too a weak El Nino. There maybe some uncertainty over the timing of El Nino, but there is no confusion of its intensity,” D S Pai, director of Long Range Forecast in IMD told Business Standard.