Lack of rainfall forces farmers to sow pulses instead of paddy in Uttarakhand

Kuriya (Uttarakhand), July 31(ANI): Lack of adequate rainfall has affected paddy cultivation in Uttarakhand's Kuriya village, forcing farmers to sow soybean and other pulses instead of the more profitable paddy.

The fields, normally inundated this time of the year and full of paddy saplings, are either lying barren or with pulses sown there.

"Due to the lack of rains, we have not sown rice, and because the monsoon is delayed farmers are troubled. There is no hope that there will be enough rains so that the farmer can still sow rice," said Krishna Pal Singh, a farmer.

Paddy saplings have been lying in the nurseries and very little paddy plantation has taken place and the farmers do not even have any alternative means of irrigation.

"There used to be maximum paddy grown in this area. But, due to lack of water there is little paddy. The saplings have been in the nurseries for over two months, but can't be sown due to lack of water. Now we have sown pulses and soybean," said Rekha Pathak, village head of Kuriya village.

Agriculture experts have also been encouraging farmers to sow pulses or other coarse grains, which require less water and can still be sown.

"The farmers can keep paddy they have sown and irrigate it as per the water availability or there can be an alternative of sowing pulses which can be sown in August and till the 15th of September," said B.S Negi, an agriculture expert.

The monsoon is crucial for summer-sown (Kharif) crops and most of the country's marginal farmers rely solely on the rains.

Delayed and uneven rains could impact the crop production and though monsoon has revived in northern India, parched farmlands present a grim situation. (ANI)