Jharkhand farmers fear that in absence of adequate rain paddy, maize, pulses and oilseeds will suffer badly.
Reportedly due to delay in rain, paddy transplant in the low land continued till August end. According to the directorate of agriculture, paddy coverage till date has been around 92%, while coverage of maize and pulses is 65% and 68%, respectively. Coverage of oilseeds has been as low as 57%.
According to sources at Birsa Agriculture University, upland crops like maize, pulses and oilseeds may sustain the dry spell for some more days. But as far as low land paddy is concerned, they will suffer because the moisture in the land has gradually reduced due to the heat spell.
