Officials agree that the weak monsoons, 36 percent below normal in Northwest regions, are already having a negative effect on the overall economy, with prices of basic food items skyrocketing.
Though Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has already stated that there are enough food reserves to stave off widespread hunger, this does little to reassure farmers who depend on the rain for their livelihood, like Shree Ram Reddy in Srinivaspur, Kolar, Karataka.
The farmers in his district depend on bore wells for irrigation. Sixty percent of the wells have dried up, and all the tanks are empty. "The rain here has been untimely," he said. "When the seeds were sown and we most needed the rains, the rains did not come. But two months later there were rains which caused some losses."
As a result of the weak rain, inflation shot up to 4.8 percent in November, an increase from 1.3 percent in October. Food costs went up by 19 percent, creating major hardship for citizens. What used to cost $1 for dal, a food staple, now costs $2. Prices of other food items, like sugar, have also gone up.
The government is trying to help with a scheme that gives jobs to farmers who have lost their livelihoods, but the uptake so far hasn't been great.
Reddy's production is down 50 percent, and he and his neighbors are feeling the hurt. "There is a financial crisis as well for the farmers. Overall the situation is very bad."
Alongside this are estimates that India wastes around $50 billion worth of grains every year due to lack of post-harvest infrastructure, like appropriate storage facilities.
Loading
Click Here to Subscribe For FREE SMS Alerts on Disaster Awareness
OR SEND SMS " ON DISASTERAWARENESS " TO 9870807070
OR SEND SMS " ON DISASTERAWARENESS " TO 9870807070
Refresher Training of CERT by FOCUS
Friday, December 18, 2009
India:Worst Drought in 40 Years Hurts Indian Farmers
Monsoons, though they can be potentially destructive, are welcomed in India to sustain the economy. Farmers rely on the rains to irrigate the land, while much of India's electricity is generated by water power provided by the monsoons rains.
Posted by Unknown at 8:00 PM
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Popular Posts
-
With the m o n - soon at t h e d o o rs t e p, Mumbaikars must brace for yet another season of contaminated water. Despite assuranc...
-
It's the "transition period" that is causing a stink in three wards in the city: N (Ghatkopar), S (Bhandup) and T (Mulund). Wi...
-
Disaster Awareness: TOLL FREE NUMBERS
-
Mumbai: The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation's ( BMC ) shoddy job with paver blocks has not only dotted Mumbai's streets w...
-
Mumbai: Climate change and reckless development are leaving Mumbai increasingly vulnerable to the elements. A news report on an ongoing clim...
-
Disaster Awareness: IMPORTANT: Watch Out
-
Dear Friends , We all carry our mobile phones with hundreds of names/ numbers stored in its memory but yet nobody, other than o...
-
Mumbai: The city has seen an alarming 61% rise in the number of abortion cases over the past three years, according to the BMC statistic...
-
DETHRONING TOILET SEAT London: The toilet seat is believed to be the dirtiest item in the average household, but scientists say the filt...
-
In a pro-people move, the state government is accepting requests from big housing societies and corporate houses to set up unique identi...
Disaster Management In India on Dipity.
Slide Presentation
TO GET FREE ALERTS ON MOBILE SEND SMS " ON DISASTERAWARENESS" TO 9870807070
Custom Search
0 comments:
Post a Comment