Agar Malwa, Madhya Pradesh:
It is not exactly a fruitful year for orange farmers in Madhya Pradesh's Malwa region. The rainfall deficit has badly hit orange production in the region, dashing hopes of thousands of them.
"A farmer cares for the orange plant for 5 years and when due to unfavourable weather conditions, like this year, the plants wilt. There is no provision of compensation for oranges like paddy and soya bean crop, whereas orange cultivation is far more expensive," said Durga Prasad Paliwal, a farmer.
Orange farming was introduced in the region almost three decades ago and the then state government encouraged it as the soil was found to be favourable for orange cultivation.
It was expensive but farmers opted for orange farming as it is profitable - a farmer can earn upto Rs 1 lakh per acre. But for last four years, orange production here has been uncertain and this year's rainfall deficit has further aggravated the already glooming situation.
"I have been spending Rs 2.5 lakh annually for the last 6 years on the orange plants and this year I was expecting the first yield. But the plants have wilted due to rainfall deficit. I have a loan of over 10 lakhs, I do not know how am I going to pay it back," said 63-year-old Durga Jhala.
Expecting a good crop this year, Durga had hoped to repay the loan taken for a tractor in 2012 and got his two daughters married. Now with no hopes of a good yield, he's a worried man.
Since an orange tree takes five years to mature, farmers here have lost more than they would have, had they been cultivating paddy or soya bean.
"Rainfall here is delayed by about 20 days now. So because of extended stress condition many orange plants have reached permanent wilting stage. I request farmers to resort to drip irrigation technique as soon as possible," said Dr Rajeev Umath, Senior Scientist, Agriculture, Government of Madhya Pradesh.
The farmers are now hoping that it rains within a week so that the remaining orange plants do not reach permanent wilting stage.