Mangaon farmers seek drought status as erratic rain hits paddy, claim 70% loss

Mangaon: Erratic rain this season has hit paddy cultivation in Mangaon taluka the hardest. Sowing was delayed at first because the rain could not be relied upon. Heavy rain followed, and then the rain stopped just as the paddy crop was getting ready to ripen. Farmers have been pushed into financial distress by these three factors. Farmers claim that about 70 per cent of cultivation in the taluka has been lost. The demand to declare Mangaon taluka drought-hit and to give immediate help to the affected farmers is gathering strength.

At the start of the season, many farmers put off sowing. They were worried whether the rain would arrive on time and whether the likely effect of El Nino would leave it deficient. Heavy rain then fell for some time, and in many places paddy nurseries, or seedbeds, were submerged. Some farmers could not raise as many seedlings as they needed. As a result, the whole plan for planting paddy on time went awry. The rain at transplanting time was fairly good, so farmers had to transplant using the seedlings they had, by the uprooting method. This affected crop growth and the expected yield.

The rain stopped suddenly during the crucial phase of grain filling and ripening. Soil moisture fell and the grains could not fill fully. In many places the grains remained incomplete and the husks turned hollow, and a sharp fall in yield is feared. With heavy rain first and then a dry spell, farmers fear that the morsel in their hands will be snatched away.

Farmers say that in some areas the paddy looks good, but the real condition of the fields is quite different. The claim is that about 70 per cent of the taluka's farmland has been damaged and that many farmers' yields have been seriously affected. It is therefore said to be necessary to visit village after village, assess the state of the crop and make a firm estimate of the loss.

The farmers' main demands are as follows. The financial calculations of farmers in paddy-dependent rural areas have gone wrong this year. It has become hard even to recover the money spent on seed, fertiliser, labour and ploughing. The government should conduct a village-wise survey of paddy cultivation in Mangaon taluka, prepare panchnamas and give farmers financial aid according to the rules, and check the drought norms and declare Mangaon drought-hit.

Sandeep Khadtar, a progressive farmer from Cherwali, said: "This year's drought crisis is of a different kind. About 70 per cent of cultivation has been damaged. It has become difficult to get the expected yield from paddy farming. If Mangaon taluka is declared drought-hit, farmers will get some financial help for farming in the next season. If seed, fertiliser and other essential supplies are provided, farmers caught in the crisis will be able to stand up again. The government should take this situation seriously and give relief to farmers."

Khadtar also said that the little crop left in the fields faces further threat from excessive heat and from the rain crisis, and that paddy cultivation will not be ready in the coming period.