Government should immediately declare drought in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar

No matter how frightening the COVID-19 crisis was, we have observed that the farmers were relentless in their efforts to provide foodgrains to the country. At the height of the pandemic, agriculture was the only economic sector which registered a positive growth rate but today, this sector is struggling with a helpless condition.

The drought-like conditions in the Indo-Gangetic plains have caused severe apprehensions to the farmers. Farmers, who have been cultivating at the mercy of generous monsoons for the last two years, are now experiencing the effects of a deficit rainfall.

What do the data from the India Meteorological Department indicate?

The latest data from the India Meteorological Department (IMD) indicates a severe problem of drought in 196 districts of the country. Of these, 65 districts are from Uttar Pradesh and 33 are from Bihar. Both of these states are considered significant contributors to the paddy cultivation in India. Data from the IMD issued on August 1 showed that out of the total 756 districts in the country, only 63 districts have received good rains. In the remaining 660 districts, insufficient rainfall has distressed cultivators, most of whom cannot afford to irrigate their agricultural fields.

Also Read: 'The government should declare a drought' – Gaon Connection's ground report from rain-starved Bihar

The effect of less rainfall on paddy sowing

Even today, a large part of agriculture in India is dependent on monsoon rains and the paddy crop needs huge amounts of water for optimum growth. The data released by the Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare on August 26 shows that paddy sowing has declined by 5.99 per cent so far. Till now, a total of 3,67,55,000 hectares of paddy has been sown which was 3,90,99,000 hectares in the last year.

What do the farmers have to say?

Mukesh Singh, a farmer of gram sabha [village council] Khori in Uttar Pradesh Deoria district says that he has been planting a total of five bighas (unit for the measurement of farmland in rural Uttar Pradesh equal to about quarter of an hectare) regularly, but due to insufficient rainfall, we have cultivated on only 2.5 bighas.

Also Read: After a drop in wheat production due to early heatwaves, now paddy crop likely to be hit by deficient rainfall

On the other hand, Sanjay Singh, a farmer of Salempur town in the same district, says that if we cultivate paddy in our six bighas then ₹ 50,000 will have to be used for irrigation only which would nullify all his hopes of a profit way before the. Umapati Mishra, a farmer of village Laxmipur in Madhubani district of Bihar said that he can never grow a good crop by irrigation through pumps alone.

What is the cost of growing paddy in one bigha of a field?

To understand the helpless condition of the farmers, we need to understand the economics of the paddy production in a bigha of fields and the income from the crop sale as a benchmark.

After talking to many farmers and experts, the Finance and Economics Think Council, a policy research organisation, fixed the estimated cost of planting and harvesting one bigha of paddy. According to the institution, about 14 litres of diesel is required for irrigation in a bigha of paddy field. Presently, diesel costs Rs 89.76 per litre in Uttar Pradesh.

The farmer will have to spend Rs 1,246 for one-time irrigation in such a situation. Farmers believe that in the event of a drought, at least 10 irrigations must happen. In such a situation, the maximum expenditure is on irrigation. Therefore, if we irrigate ten times, the total expenditure of Rs 12,460 will be required. Then you add Rs 1,500 for ploughing the field, Rs 1,500 for manure, Rs 2,000 for seed, Rs 1,000 for planting, and Rs 1,000 for harvesting.

So, the total cost is Rs 19,460. Now, if there is an excellent crop in a bigha field, then on average, 12 to 14 quintals [1 quintal=100 kilogramme] are harvested, but in the event of drought, the farmer will be able to harvest a maximum of eight quintals. If you are too optimistic, consider a yield of 10 quintals. Now, based on the minimum support price [MSP], let us calculate the selling price of the farmer's total harvest.

Recently, the central government has increased the MSP of paddy by Rs 100 to Rs 2,040 per quintal. Now calculating ten quintals, the farmer will get a total of Rs 20,400, which is only Rs 940 more than his input cost. Now with this Rs 940, the farmer has to bear the family's daily expenses, healthcare, children's education, and other essential expenses to sustain a livelihood.

How much does a farmer earn in India?

The Economic Survey of India-2016 states that the average annual income of farmers in 17 states is Rs 20,000. So a farmer earns an average of Rs 55 per day. Whereas in Uttar Pradesh, the minimum wage of an MGNREGA worker is Rs 213 per day.

Moreover, the rising inflation has further spoiled the farmer's budget. As per the Union Ministry of Finance, the inflation rate for food articles was 7.75 percent in June, while the consumer price index [CPI] inflation rate was 7.01 per cent. In contrast, in the financial year 2021-22, the agricultural growth rate has been only 3.9 per cent. In a situation wherein the farmers' incomes were supposed to be double, inflation has doubled as compared to the agricultural growth rate.

What should the government do?

In such a situation, a better solution appears to be appropriately using government policies. Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana [PMFBY] can really help farmers. The government should immediately declare drought in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar and compensate for the loss through this crop insurance scheme. Also, the drought in 660 districts calls for accepting it as a national calamity and the government should announce a special relief package. For immediate relief, the government can also increase the compensation amount under PMFBY from existing Rs 6,000 to Rs 10,000.

The author is a research scholar at Rajeev Gandhi Institute of Petroleum Technology. Views are personal.