Palamu experiences ‘extreme event’ as July delivers rain for two days

Daltonganj, July 20: Renowned agriculture scientist DN Singh, who is the associate director of the zonal research center BAU Ranchi in Chiyanki, Daltonganj said that Palamu is passing experiencing ‘extreme event’ as it had rained for only 2 days in July so far (July 2-3). 

He answered this in response to the query of lagatar24.com as to how Palamu is now when the rains are not around. 

DN Singh said, “We have in our agriculture lexicon extreme event term which means zero rain or poor rain to profuse rain as both the conditions of the rain are inconducive to the agriculture activities and in Palamu it is very much extreme event.”

The drought like situation is severe and farmers are advised to save their paddy  seedlings from withering by all means as when paddy seedlings are lost, all hope of having rice is gone with it, opined DN Singh. 

He said paddy is an aquatic crop and needs good amount of water but when rain is scarce, it tells upon the yield. 

Singh reiterated that a seedling just 21 days old on transplantation and growth gives good yield but when it gets even a day old like 22 days, the output gets down by 20 kgs per acre. The loss multiplies by 20 kgs per acre with every other day other than 21 cut off date for the transplantation. 

Rain is sought from June to September for kharif farming  and this June and half of the month of July there has been a serious deficiency of rain in Palamu. 

The expected rain in June was 157 mm, 374 mm in July, 303 mm in August and 202 mm in September. Palamu’s record of rain in June and half of July has been too miserable and pathetic.

He said farmers who have done seedlings are worried about its fate as to what will happen to it or how to make paddy out of it.