Assam is parched this monsoon – and its paddy farmers are getting desperate

Because this also coincides with the season for transplanting rice seedlings in paddy fields in a state with limited irrigation coverage and agriculture is largely rain-dependent, over half of the area cultivated for kharif paddy in these districts has been hit either by transplanted seedlings failing because of the lack of rain or by farmers unable to transplant the seedlings at all because of the dry soil. However, with rainfall picking up in various areas since July 20, farmers are rushing to puddle the soil and transplant seedlings.

According to agriculture department data, as of Monday, out of the 7.52 lakh hectares of kharif paddy agriculture land in 14 districts identified as experiencing a “drought-like situation”, around 3.28 lakh hectares of land had not yet been cultivated. In 1.36 lakh hectares of land, transplantation had taken place, but the seedlings were damaged by the lack of rain. This is estimated to be affecting 2.7 lakh farming families across 4,071 revenue villages.

An agriculture department official said that in normal years, the transplantation process is completed by mid-July.

The kharif paddy, transplanted in the monsoon and harvested in the winter, accounts for nearly 81% of Assam’s annual rice cultivation.

“There is a window of another 10-15 days for most farmers to transplant popular varieties of this season’s paddy. Seedlings are first grown in seed beds, and after a month, they are transplanted to the fields. For this, the main fields need to be moist and puddled. After transplantation, the seedlings cannot survive in dry fields and need a few inches of water. Because the earth is dry, many farmers have not yet been able to transplant the crops, and the window for this is limited is limited because if it is delayed, it affects the productivity and can result in lower yield,” said an agriculture department official.

The situation has prompted the state government to swing into action, and in a meeting last week, the state Cabinet recognised the situation as “state specific disaster” and gave “in-principle approval” for extending compensation to affected families from the State Disaster Relief Fund.

“According to SDRF norms, the compensation is Rs 17,000 per hectare for irrigated cultivation and Rs 8,500 per hectare for rain-fed cultivation. This will be released after a loss assessment is done in August-September jointly by different departments, including agriculture, revenue and statistics,” another official said.

“Other steps are also being taken. Community nurseries have been established in all districts to replace destroyed seedlings. A drought advisory is also in the process of being created. It is also new and unprecedented territory, because this is not an issue we have dealt with in recent years. In recent years, there was a similar situation in 2021, but only restricted to Golaghat district,” the official said.

Rajib Lochan Das, professor of Agricultural Meteorology at Assam Agricultural University, said that the limited irrigation coverage in the state makes agriculture particularly vulnerable to the climatic changes it is increasingly experiencing.

“Paddy cultivation in Assam during the kharif season heavily depends on SW monsoon rainfall, as only 12% of the area is under irrigation. In recent years, climate change has had a significant impact on rainfall patterns. The monsoon has become increasingly erratic and unpredictable, featuring more frequent heavy rainfall events, fewer rainy days, a decline in moderate rainfall events and an increasing number of consecutive dry days. Additionally, early floods, which occur before or after the onset of the SW monsoon, have become a common occurrence,” he said.