Pune: The delayed arrival of the southwest monsoon has severely disrupted kharif sowing across the district, with cultivation on barely 3,000 hectares by the end of June compared to nearly 35,000 hectares during the corresponding period last year, agriculture officials said.Delayed rainfall and inadequate soil moisture during the first three weeks of June forced the agriculture department to advise farmers against taking up sowing activities, resulting in a significant setback to the district’s kharif season.“The delay was entirely due to insufficient rainfall. However, with recent showers, sowing has picked up momentum in several tehsils, which is a positive sign,” said Sanjay Kachole, the district agriculture officer, Pune, told TOI.Pune district has an average kharif cultivation area of around two lakh hectares, of which paddy accounts for nearly 60,000 hectares. Agriculture officials said the delayed monsoon could significantly alter the cropping pattern this season, particularly affecting pulse cultivation.Officials expressed concern over the prospects of green gram (moong) and black gram (urad), crops that require sowing during a narrow window in early June for optimum yield.“The cultivation area under green gram and black gram is likely to decline drastically this season because their sowing period is very short. Farmers generally sow these crops during the initial phase of June. Since that window has largely been missed, many farmers are now expected to shift towards soybean and maize cultivation,” an agriculture department official said.The delayed sowing has created uncertainty among farmers, many of whom have been waiting for adequate rainfall before investing in seeds and farm inputs.“We had prepared our fields in the first week of June and were waiting for rain. The prolonged dry spell increased our costs and anxiety. Now that rainfall has resumed, we are considering soybean instead of pulses,” said Sachin Kale, a farmer from Ambegaon tehsil.Another farmer from Junnar said the delayed monsoon had forced many cultivators to alter their crop plans.“Most farmers in our village have postponed sowing by nearly three weeks. We are hopeful that if rainfall remains consistent in July, the season can still be salvaged,” said Santosh KharpudeDespite the slow start, agriculture officials remain optimistic about paddy cultivation, which is expected to gather pace over the next fortnight.Recent rainfall in the district’s hilly tehsils, including Bhor, Velhe, Mulshi, Maval, Khed, Ambegaon and Junnar, has helped protect paddy nurseries from severe damage.“The rainfall in the last few days in these hilly regions has saved paddy nurseries. We expect paddy transplantation activities to begin on schedule in the coming weeks, which would be a positive development for the district’s agriculture sector,” Kachole said.Officials said the progress of the kharif season in Pune district will now depend heavily on the distribution and intensity of rainfall during July, a crucial month for sowing and crop establishment.There is another fear that the cultivation of vegetables could get affected due to the shortage of rainfall.“At multiple places, natural water sources have dried up. Hence, rainfall in these areas is essential. Scanty rainfall will result in reduction of vegetable cultivation. In turn, it will affect supply chain and lead to rise vegetables prices. Therefore, we are also worried about this issue along with kharif sowing,” said the officials.
