Delayed and uneven rainfall has started to affect Aman paddy cultivation in several districts of West Bengal, with farmers in Paschim Medinipur district facing rising cultivation costs and uncertainty over transplantation.
According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the country has recorded a 23 per cent rainfall deficit since June, with more than half of India receiving at least 20 per cent less rainfall than the long-period average.
The IMD has also warned that the rest of the southwest monsoon season remains uncertain as El Niño conditions are expected to strengthen.
West Bengal, however, has largely remained outside the national rain-deficit zone.
Gangetic West Bengal has received rainfall only 5 per cent below normal, while North Bengal has recorded 3 per cent excess rainfall, both falling within the IMD’s normal range.
Despite the overall picture, rainfall has been uneven across districts.
Districts like Murshidabad, Malda, Uttar Dinajpur, Birbhum, Purulia and Jhargram continue to report rainfall deficits of 30 to 40 per cent, although recent showers have reduced Jhargram’s shortfall to around 20 per cent.
The delayed arrival of sustained monsoon rain has disrupted the Aman cultivation calendar in West Midnapore.
Farmers have been forced to use tube wells and pumps to prepare seedbeds, increasing production costs as transplantation gets delayed.
Farmer Sanjoy Mahata from Salboni said he had to prepare his seedbed using groundwater.
“The rainfall has helped, but it is far from enough. Unless regular rainfall begins soon, cultivation will become much more expensive,” he said.
However, the agriculture department is not too worried about the deficit of rainfall.
“At present we are not much worried about the rainfall shortfall because Aman transplantation in West Midnapore continues till September,” said Nakul Chandra Maity, Deputy Director of Agriculture (Administration), West Midnapore.
The Agriculture Department estimates that Aman paddy is cultivated over nearly 3.8 lakh hectares in West Midnapore, accounting for around 70 per cent of the district’s cultivated area.
Farmers estimate that the cost of preparing seedbeds and transplantation has already touched nearly Rs 8,000 per bigha, with additional irrigation likely to push expenses higher.
Agricultural experts warned that delayed transplantation could reduce yields by shortening the crop’s growing period while increasing the risk of pests and diseases.
They cautioned that groundwater irrigation alone cannot compensate for a prolonged deficiency in monsoon rainfall across such a large cultivation area.
Environmental scientist Dr Pravat Kumar Shit attributed the delayed monsoon to strong El Niño conditions, which have altered rainfall patterns across eastern India.
“The monsoon in West Midnapore is already about two weeks behind schedule. If rainfall does not improve soon, groundwater recharge will remain inadequate, affecting irrigation, agriculture and rural livelihoods,” he said.
Nationally, kharif sowing remains behind normal levels, with slower planting of paddy, maize, pulses and oilseeds reported by the Union Agriculture Ministry.
The IMD has forecast heavy rainfall over parts of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, the sub-Himalayan districts of North Bengal and the western Himalayan region over the next few days.
Naturally, for thousands of farmers dependent on rain-fed Aman cultivation, the coming weeks are expected to be crucial for both this year’s harvest and their financial security.