Summer crops resilient, but prolonged heat may dent output, says ICAR chief
Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.New Delhi: India's summer (zaid) crops, including maize, moong, and groundnut, have remained resilient despite scorching heat across several parts of the country. However, an extended heatwave could hurt both yields and crop quality, a senior agricultural scientist warned on Wednesday.Field reports suggest that these short-duration crops, grown between rabi and kharif seasons, are largely holding up, supported by timely irrigation, M.L.
Jat, secretary, Department of Agricultural Research and Education, and director general of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), told Mint in a telephonic interview.However, concerns are mounting that a prolonged spell of high temperatures extending into May could begin to adversely affect yields and crop quality, he added. This could weigh on India's farm output, as summer crops account for around 5.34% of the country's total foodgrain production of 357.73 million tonnes (mt).The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on 31 March warned of an above-normal number of heatwave days across large parts of east and east-central India, the southeastern peninsula, and pockets of northwest and west-central regions during the April-June period.
Currently, most regions of the country are experiencing higher-than-usual heatwave days, including northwestern region, central India and peninsular regions.The IMD, in its latest update, said maximum temperatures over northwest India—excluding Uttar Pradesh—are likely to remain largely unchanged until 29 April. A gradual rise of 2-3°C is expected on 30 April and 1 May, followed by a decline of 2-3°C between 2 May and 5 May.On 28 April, maximum day temperatures were in the range of 40-46°C over most parts of
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