Ground Report: Lukewarm winters could hamper the Rabi crop

New Delhi — In the last few years, the impact of Climate Change has been witnessed. Agriculture is being impacted because of this. The onset of winter usually starts during the last days of October. But this time the temperature was above 28 to 30 Degree Celsius. This impacted the sowing of Rabi crops and those who managed to sow, they have not managed to see the required growth in the crops.  The Mooknayakvisited many agricultural fields in Haryana to assess the situation.

If there is no dip in the temperature then half the crops will be damaged

Rajaram is a Dalit farmer, who lives in Farukhnagar Tehsil near Gurgaon. He has been engaged in agriculture for the last 40 years. He owns 1 acre of land and has 10 acres of land under sharecropping. He has sown mustard and wheat. But is apprehensive about the weather.

He told that he has sown Wheat in the first week of November. During that time the temperature in the day was higher than usual. The impact can be seen in the growth of the crops. He plucks out a crop to show the yellowish color, it received as the temperature has high. Even the nights had higher temperatures. Due to this, the crops are not growing adequately and also getting yellowish.

When The Mooknayak asked them that as per the media reports this year the weather will not be adequately cold and how can it impact agriculture, he replied instantly " Half the damage would be done. Per acre yield will decline. A lot of time the yield is halved.

He told that the grains of wheat are small in size. For good yield, it is better that there is sufficient rainfall. He says that for the yield of wheat adequate cold weather is needed. We have to water the fields if there is not sufficient rainfall. The ground here requires more water as it is a bit clayish. The farmers have to face problems due to this. If you don't have your own boring then you have to pay to get it. This is an additional expenditure.

The Mother of Rajaram standing nearby says "our entire family is engaged in the family since a long time. But now my grandchildren are considering giving it up. They are saying that if there is no gain then why should we do it". She says that "earlier we also had cattle in our home, but the fodder became so expensive that it was difficult t meet their expenses. So we sold them. Now there is no profit in farming."

The fear of Infestation

Gajraj, a Dalit farmer who lives in a house built in the fields shares the same fate. He owns some portion of the land and the rest is taken on sharecropping. He is also worried about the temperature. He says that if the crops don't get the dew drops not only will the grains be smaller, but the infestation will also be damaged. Firstly, they have fewer fields and then these kinds of losses can make life difficult.

Shailja, a woman working in her own fields says that she does everything from sowing the seeds to watering the plants. Meanwhile, she is plucking the onions.

Shailja and her husband are also small farmers, who also own some portion of the land and rest is sharecropping. She points towards the fields and says "Meanwhile we have sown onion, barley and mustard. You can estimate the impact of the weather on the crops by looking at the crops. If the weather had been colder then the mustard crop would have grown taller. But this is not the case now. But it will be only in April and March that we will come to know of the profit and loss".

The Mooknayak spoke to Dr. Anuj Kumar, the agricultural expert at the Wheat Research Centre. Talking over the phone, he said that "the ideal temperature for sowing wheat is 19-23 degrees and also that the temperature variation of Day-night also plays a role. If the temperature is a bit warm in the Day, then at night it is a bit cold, about 10 degrees then it is conducive for the crop. Intense sunlight during the day is also good for farming because it is in the day that the process of photosynthesis takes place." He says excessive cold is also not good for the Rabi crop because during extremely cold weather there is no sunshine after dewdrops. However, he assures that till now, the temperature has not been affected to the extent of damaging the crops. There will be lots of changes in the weather. It is too early to predict the crops.

While on the other hand, a senior agriculture scientist Anuj Kumar Ahirwar told  The Mooknayak over the phone that "there is still some time for the crops to grow". If the temperature does not drop then spikelets will not develop, which will impact the crops. The days in December are not as cold. There is no drop in the temperature at night also.

"In the year 2016, the night temperature was 7.2 degrees and in the day was 25.0 degrees on December 8. This temperature is increasing every year. The maximum temperature this year on 8^th December is 27.6 degrees and the minimum 9.0 degrees, which directly affects the crop and the market."

He further says that if this trend continues then the crops can be infested with pests. Then there will be a higher possibility of damage. As far as the Market Value is concerned then there could be a difference of 20-30% this time.

(Story Translated by Pratikshit Singh)