Statesman News Service
MALDA, 23 JULY: Transplantation of aman paddy seedling has been stalled due to scarcity of required rainfall in Malda district, agriculture development officers said today.
A few farmers have been able to continue transplantation for cultivation of aman paddy with the help of various sources of irrigation in Chanchal sub-division in northern part of the Malda district.
But farmers in Malda division, which majorly comprises of rainfed zones, are facing acute rainwater crisis that is hampering aman cultivation this year.
The agriculture development officer (technical), Mr Soumendra Nath Das, said the blocks belonging to the Malda sub-division have been badly hit this year because the major paddy cultivation areas like Gazole, Habibpur and Bamongola are rainfed zones. The Habibpur block has been identified as the area worse hit due to the acute rainwater crisis, he added.
According to Mr Das, the farmers were able to continue transplantation in low lying areas where there is standing water in the field like in old Malda where farmers could complete the transplantation of aman paddy with the help of standing rainwater there.
“Farmers have managed to complete 90 per cent production of seedlings for aman cultivation. But out of the 1.50 lakh ha land for aman cultivation, farmers have completed only 25 percent of its transplantation,” Mr Das said. Now, farmers are facing difficulties to save the new aman seedlings where transplantation was completed due to scarcity of rain. According to the weather report prepared by the agriculture department today, the district has received only 447.4 mm rain out of the normal 771.8 mm rainfall since January and this problem has started since June. In July till date, the district has received only 160.4 mm rainfall out of its normal 353.1 mm. “The situation will be alarming if the district does not receive required rain by 15 August, which is the last date for aman transplantation,” said Mr Das.
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