While an intense heat wave is spreading across India, agriculture will be one of the sectors most severely impacted. A report from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has warned that heat events have posed a threat to the livelihoods and health of over a billion people worldwide. The impact will be severe in India, with predictions of a likely fall in yields of rice and wheat crops. The country has seen an early incidence of high temperatures in all climatic zones. Agriculture is highly climate-sensitive, and variations in heat levels can badly affect crops. The untimely heat waves are likely to curtail yields in important farming states such as Punjab, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh. The wheat harvest is already over, and reports from farms are not encouraging.

Rice is equally vulnerable. Rice cultivation is about to start, and the dry weather will affect seed germination, nursery preparation, and the growth of plants. Farmers will have to rely more on groundwater or irrigation where available, as higher evaporation will increase water loss. Irrigation facilities are inadequate in many areas of the country. It is not just the existing dry weather or the heat wave conditions in the coming weeks that will challenge agriculture. The entire monsoon season from June to September is likely to see a deficit in rainfall, and that can hurt the whole farming economy.

The heat wave is not the only challenge. There is a serious shortfall in the supply of fertilisers. The war in West Asia has dealt a serious blow to the supply of fertilisers and important raw materials such as natural gas and ammonia that are used for fertiliser production. The closure of the Strait of Hormuz has disrupted a major share of the world’s fertiliser trade. Major producers such as Russia and China have cut down on exports to support domestic demand. China is a major supplier of fertilisers to India. India’s agriculture is likely to face pressure from two sides: heat and fertiliser shortages. Governments at both central and state levels should start taking measures to counter them. These include a focus on heat-resistant crops, counselling farmers, and supporting them in dealing with the impact. India has not made any progress in putting in place a system of climate-resistant agriculture on a permanent basis. Climate change and its challenges are going to be with us. There is a need to protect the country’s agriculture and economy from the impacts of climate change and other pressures more urgently than ever before. (Source: DH)