Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren on Monday said his government is drawing up a plan to address the problems of farmers of the state which is facing a drought-like situation. Expressing concern over erratic rainfall, he said the administration will deal with the situation.
“We faced drought last year. This year too, the weather is playing hide and seek. We discussed the issue seriously during the meeting. We also discussed what we could do for the betterment of farmers and farming during this situation,” Soren told reporters after the meeting.
Jharkhand is facing a 45 per cent rain deficit, leading to around 85 per cent of the arable land in the state remaining fallow in the peak monsoon season. Soren said, “We provided relief to farmers when drought was declared last year. The situation is being monitored seriously this year too.”
In 2022, the JMM-led government had on October 29 declared 226 of the 260 blocks of the state as drought-affected and provided a cash relief of Rs 3,500 to each affected farmer family under the chief minister’s drought relief scheme.
Speaking over the pending drought package of Rs 9,682 crore from the Centre, Soren said, “We face discrimination whenever we approach the Centre with the demand of the poor.” Agriculture Minister Badal Ptralekh said currently all indicators suggest that Jharkhand is inching towards another drought-like situation. “The government will watch the situation till August 15 and then decide on declaring the state drought hit,” Patralekh told media.
According to agricultural experts, the ideal sowing period for paddy is from July 1 to July 20. With delayed or scant rainfall in the early months of monsoon in the last few years, many farmers nowadays sow crops till mid-August but that does not lead to a good harvest, they said.
During the meeting, the chief minister directed the officials to prepare an action plan to link agricultural production with new crops or cropping systems. “Encourage farmers for alternative crops. Farmers could also be motivated to produce millets, pulses and oil seeds,” Soren said. He also stressed the need to increase the coverage of Kisan Credit Cards and help farmers to get farm loans.
