Monsoon worries for paddy farmers in Jammu

Jammu, July 19 (ANI): Paddy farmers in Jammu are a worried lot, as they fear their crops will wilt due to scanty rain during the monsoon season.

The area under paddy cultivation in Jammu is over 100,000 hectares, out of which 15,000 hectares are rain-fed.

"Farmers here are facing a lot of problem if it does not rains here. We are not even able to export or sell the earlier stock and because of this we are facing a lot of problem," said Paramjit Singh, a farmer.

In Kashmir, paddy harvesting starts at the end of September.

M.K. Khushoo, chief scientist at the Sher-E-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology, Jammu said that the rainfall was much below expected.

"Up to July 14, the normal rainfall should have been 185 millimeters. But, we have received only 63.6 millimeters from June 1 to July 14," said Khushoo.

Agriculture accounts for 25 per cent of the country's GDP and drives domestic demand in Asia's fourth-largest economy. (ANI)