Jharkhand’s eight districts struggle with paddy cultivation; state demands Rs 9,682 crore for drought aid
Jharkhand’s rainfall shortage severely impacts paddy cultivation in eight districts, with only 43.66% coverage and over 80% of fields remaining barren.
RANCHI – Jharkhand’s rainfall shortage has left over 80% of paddy fields barren in eight districts, severely impacting the staple crop.
The best time to plant paddy is July 1–31, but farmers have been forced to plant until mid-August due to delayed or inadequate rains, resulting in a poor harvest.
Paddy planting coverage in Jharkhand was only 43.66% through August 18, with 7.85 lakh hectares seeded compared to 18 lakh hectares planned.
Palamu reported the lowest paddy seeding coverage, 2.96%, till August 18, followed by Jamtara (5.63%), Dumka (7.66%), Garhwa (8.43%), Dhanbad (10.26%), Giridih (11.42%), Koderma (12.61%), and Chatra (16.35%).
The state is offering monetary aid to farming families in 226 drought-stricken areas, and all indicators will be considered before declaring drought in certain regions due to poor sowing.
Kharif crops were grown on 47.53% of arable land versus 28.27 lakh hectares by August 18.
The Jharkhand government has demanded Rs 9,682 crore from the Centre for drought-stricken areas, grappling with a 47% rainfall deficit till July 31 due to 36% below-average rainfall.
The rainfall intensity is expected to decrease until Sunday but is predicted to rise from August 21.
