Page 46 - AUG2018E

Monsoon revival stimulates

Indian economy and politics

Monsoon rains are essential, not only for agriculture but for the good kharif crop.
Kharif crops constitute a major
economy of the country as a whole. Timely arrival of monsoon proportion of food grains production
and equitable distribution of rain ensure the income generation in in India for crops like Paddy, Cotton,
hinterland, and adequate availability of raw material for the textile Sugarcane,Maize, Moong, Millets (Jowar
and food processing industry, writes komal amit gera and Bajra), Groundnuts, Soyabean and
Chilies are grown in this season. Of
the total cropped area in the country,
outh-West Monsoon is in of Kerala has been facing a fierce flood approximately 65 per cent of the net
full bloom in most parts of fury. Many districts in the state have been sown area comes under rain fed crops.
India. An initial phase of anxi- submerged in water and several people India ranks first among the rain fed
ety about deficit monsoon (167 dead till this report was filed) have countries in the world in terms of area
S has subsided and rainfall is lost their lives. Relief and rescue opera- but performs poor in the rain fed yield
expected to be normal. The four months tion may provide an immediate succor (less than 1 tonne per hectare).
— June, July, August and September — re- but the extensive damage caused to pub- According to Niti Ayog, of the total
ceive 70 per cent of annual rainfall of the lic and private property inter alia may pulses, oilseeds and cotton produced in
country and any deviation from normal derail the lives of the people. the country-80 per cent pulses, 73 per
is painful. A lifeline for the rural popula- Cloudbursts and landslides in the cent oil seeds and 68 per cent cotton
tion, monsoon has a multiplier effect on state of Himachal Pradesh, Uttara- come from rain-fed agriculture.
all sectors of the economy. Though mon- khand and Leh in Jammu and Kash- The Economic Survey of year 2017-
soon has taken almost entire country in mir have been reported. Amidst the 18 projected the annual growth of
its fold, the unpredictable weather God is reports of chaos and misery, the revival of agriculture sector at 2.1 per cent, lagging
over generous at some places. The state monsoon has restored the hopes of a miserably behind industry (4.4 per

wtehelka / 31 august 2018 46 www.tehelka.com