How much is the crop loss in flood-hit states?

The concern over two years of below-normal rains was allayed after monsoon gained momentum. But a good monsoon was soon followed by excessive rainfall triggering floods and putting agricultural output to risk.

The recent spate of floods in large swathes of Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Madhya Pradesh has not only displaced people and washed away homes, but also done extensive damage to crops.

Uttarakhand likely to incur a loss of Rs 30 crore due to decline in rice production

Heavy rain and cloudbursts have impacted agricultural output in the Himalayan state. The data from the agriculture department reveals that over 10,336 hectares of agricultural land has been washed away by rain and more than 500 hectares of top soil has been turned into silt in the last two months.

Pithoragarh alone lost almost 7,000 hectares of agricultural land. Tehri and Champawat are the second and third most affected districts, registering a loss of 1,600 hectares and 862 hectares respectively.

Uttarakhand, which produces over 0.5 million metric tonnes of rice annually, is likely to see a decline in production by 50,000 metric tonnes, which will lead to a loss of Rs 30 crore. Production of kharif crops, mainly paddy and soybean, will also see a decline due to flood.

Bihar maize production to be affected

Incessant rain and swelling of the Ganga, Gandak, Koshi,  Mahananda and Sone rivers caused flooding in several areas, including the places near Patna. According to initial reports, crops are much affected in the Seemanchal region, mainly because of unscheduled water release from Nepal. Maize is the biggest crop in the region. Last week, maize was sown on an area of 430,000 hectares across the state.

According to agriculture commissioner Vijoy Prakash, there has been some damage to the maize crop in the riverside areas. The plan is afoot to distribute seeds for the replacement crop as soon as the water recedes. However, flooding is unlikely to have much impact on standing paddy, pulses and sugarcane crops.

Uttar Pradesh tries to escape drought, gets caught in flood

The floods have caused damage to kharif crops in the state, forcing farmers to expect another season of crop failure. After experiencing successive years of drought, the region had shifted towards kharif crops like sesame seeds that need less rainfall to grow. These crops are now hardest hit due to the onset of floods. Eight districts in the state reported an estimated loss of more than Rs 121.6 million.  Over 30,000 hectares of sown crops have been affected by the floods in 12 districts.

Soybean crop affected for the third consecutive year in Madhya Pradesh

Madhya Pradesh produces over 50 per cent of India’s total soybean and farmers normally begin its sowing in mid-June, after the onset of monsoon. Excessive rain and flood-like situation in Satna, Rewa and Bhopal districts has upset the plan to compensate for the last year’s poor output.

Of the state's 51 districts, 30 have got 20 per cent more than the usual rain. This doesn’t augur well with the state’s expected output as distribution pattern of rainfall is very crucial for the production of soybean. According to soybean expert P S Bhatnagar, farmers will have to do re-sowing, but it will have an impact on the total yield since the ideal time for sowing the crop is over.

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India Environment Portal Resources :

• A district level assessment of vulnerability of Indian agriculture to climate change
• The impacts of climate change on river flood risk at the global scale
• Food security in flood prone areas: SRI shows the way