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Even as Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh recorded surplus rainfall so far this monsoon season, Bihar, sandwiched between the two states, is experiencing a significant rainfall shortage since the beginning of June through July 9, 2025. The dry conditions have been a reason for worry for the state's paddy farmers who have faced three consecutive years of inadequate monsoon.
As of July 9, 2025, Bihar recorded a rainfall deficit of 50 per cent, according to the India Meteorological Department, Patna. The normal precipitation for this period till July 9 is 263.2 millimetres (mm), but the eastern state recorded just 130.9 mm.
Out of Bihar's 38 districts, up to 20 have experienced less than half of the usual rainfall and 12 districts have seen below-average rainfall to date. However, districts such as Muzaffarpur, Saharsa and Sitamarhi are encountering a rainfall deficit approaching 80 per cent.
Gopalganj district has experienced a 70 per cent shortfall in rainfall. “Due to the monsoon's rainfall deficit, there is a potential risk of drought-like conditions, causing concern among farmers regarding paddy cultivation,” a senior department official stated.
The distressed farmers fear that if the dry spell continues through July, a drought-like situation and crop loss will affect production. ”Our paddy seedlings are ready as we have sown the seeds last month (June) itself. But we're unable to start paddy transplanting due to a lack of monsoon rainfall,” said Ram Parvesh Rai, a farmer from Lalganj in Vaishali district.
He added that a paddy seedlings nursery was prepared with the help of a water pump. “So far fields are dry. There is no water for paddy transplantation. We have no choice but to stare at the sky and wait for clouds.”
Similarly, Lakhendar Singh, a farmer from the town of Garkha in Saran district, is hopeless as he is yet to prepare paddy seedlings due to dry farmland and scanty rains so far. ”I am not alone. There are thousands like me who have not sown paddy seeds to prepare seedlings,“ said Singh.
Both Singh and Rai feel the monsoon has betrayed them, as June was dry and there's no sign of improvement so far in July. “We have to arrange for pump sets to irrigate paddy seedlings and transplant the crops. This is the only way to save them, or else everything will be dried out under the scorching sun,” Rai said, adding that using groundwater is costly.
Meanwhile, only the three districts prone to drought — Gaya, Aurangabad and Nawada — have received excess rainfall to date.
The official said that the paddy seedlings were transplanted in 120,000 hectares till July 6, 2025. The state government has targeted paddy cultivation in 3.745 million hectares (MHA) this year. This may result in fall of 15 per cent in paddy production in the state this year.
As of August 15, 2022, 78.28 percent of the planned paddy seedling transplantation has been completed. The seedlings were transplanted in 2.748 MHA of the 3.512 MHA this year, according to the official data of the state agriculture department.
Large tracts of agricultural land across the state are lying dry and visibly affected by deficient rainfall. Farmers like Singh are hopeful of good rains in sawan (a monsoon month in the lunar calendar) that begins on July 11. Traditionally, farmers need to transplant the seedlings before mid-August, said Singh.
Agriculture scientists also said that delayed paddy transplantation due to rainfall deficit affect yield and production. IMD Patna officials said the monsoon system is weak over Bihar but there is a possibility of some rainfall in the coming days. Deficient rainfall is unlikely to change much, unless a strong monsoon system develops, they added.
The government has decided to provide diesel subsidy of Rs 75 per litre for irrigation to the hapless farmers. Bihar’s Chief Minister, Nitish Kumar, expressed concern over deficient rainfall this month and instructed top officials to review the situation and initiate measures to help farmers.
He instructed the authorities to guarantee electricity in rural regions and sufficient water supply to farms, reaching the furthest ends of the canals for irrigation.
Abdus Sattar, a senior scientist at the Centre for Advanced Studies on Climate Change at the Pusa-based Rajendra Prasad Central Agricultural University in Samastipur district, also acknowledged the farmers' challenge in paddy transplantation due to rainfall deficit.
So far, plantation has been done in only a tiny share of area in a few districts. The optimum time to transplant long and medium varieties of paddy is running out. If monsoon does not revive soon, it will have a considerable impact on rice production in the state.
Sattar said that monsoon has become abnormal and erratic due to climate change in recent years. The erratic monsoon is responsible for decreasing the number of rainfall days in the state, leading to extreme conditions.
In the last 10 years, Bihar recorded rainfall deficit seven times and surplus rainfall thrice. The state recorded 1,050 mm rainfall in 2019, 1,272 mm in 2020 and 1,044 mm in 2021.
Climate scientists mentioned that the poor monsoon in Bihar is a clear indication of changing rainfall patterns, which threatens an estimated two-thirds of Bihar’s 120 million people dependent on agriculture.