Amid growing expectations of a subnormal monsoon this year, the government has announced that it is making contingency plans to tackle the drought situation. Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh has said his department will soon move a cabinet note to introduce a diesel subsidy scheme to provide irrigation facilities for protecting standing crops in the event of a rainfall deficit.
Further, Agriculture Minister said that besides the diesel subsidy, the agriculture department is working on a cabinet note to seek permission for other key measures which can be implemented quickly if states declare a drought. These measures include providing interest subvention in drought-hit areas, raising subsidy ceiling to buy seeds including drought-tolerant varieties and partially compensate farmers for re-sowing.
The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), in its second-stage long-range forecast for the 2014 southwest monsoon, has highlighted that southwest monsoon may be below normal, with the country likely to receive 93 percent of the long-period average (LPA) rainfall. The department further indicated that probability of the El Nino effect, which may result in deficient rains, especially in the latter half of the monsoon season. Except for the northeast, every other part in India is predicted to get below normal rainfall this season. As per the IMD’s region-wise prediction, season rainfall over north-west India is likely to be 85% of LPA, 94% over central India, 93% over south peninsula and 99% of LPA over north-east India.
Monsoon rainfall in India is main source of irrigation for majority of India's farmers and a below normal monsoon could affect prospects of crops like rice and soybeans in the country. A poor agriculture directly affects India's economy as the agriculture sector represents around 15% share in India’s GDP.