By: Rakesh Lohumi, Sr. Editor-ICN Group
SHIMLA: Frequent spells of snow over the past one month in mid and high hill areas and widespread rain in the lower areas have brightened the prospects apple, the main fruit crop, and the rabi crop in Himalayan states of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand.
For once the weather god has been kind to the hapless hill farmers who are entirely dependent on snow and rain for a good harvest.
Adequate precipitation at the onset of winter ensured timely rabi sowing. Unlike recent years there has been no dry spell, thanks to a series of western disturbances which brought one spell of snow and rain after the other much to the comfort of farmers.
Snow is considered as white manure for orchards as it not only helps in maintaining moisture in the soil till summer but also ensures minimum required chilling of 1600 to 2000 hours.
The weather god obliged the farmers with ample snow and rain in the nick of time. Widespread rain has saved the crop already sown and farmers have lost no time to complete sowing in the remaining area. The total area under wheat may go up to 3.60 lakh hectare as a result, besides 23,000 hectares under barley and 8,000 hectares under pulses. The target of wheat production has been fixed at 6.50 lakh tonne for 2016-17 and the total rabi production at 6.96 lakh tonne.
The fruit growers, especially apple orchardists, heaved a sigh of relief following widespread heavy snow in the first half of January. The entire apple belt, comprising the mid hill and high hill areas of Shimla, Kinnaur and Kull districts, has received adequate snow ranging from 40 cm to 90 cm. The apple crop failed last year during which the region had little snow.
The mercury has plummeted sharply and the hills have been shivering under severe cold wave. The minimum temperature has been hovering around the freezing point and there is thick layer of snow across the mountains, creating ideal chilling conditions for the apple crop. The mercury must remain below 7 C during the chilling period. With winter at its peak there will be no problem in completing the minimum chilling hours.
The much needed snow will also help recharge the natural water sources and help ease the problem of water scarcity during summer. With snow becoming increasingly scarce most of the sources dry up during peak summer and the irrigation and public health department is forced to deploy tankers to supply drinking water. Even the state capital faces a severe shortage when the demand is at the peak due to a huge influx of tourists.
The snow is a boon for forests as it will keep the menace of fires in check during summer. Warm and dry weather had created conditions conducive for outbreak of forest fires. In fact, some incidents of fire had already taken place in Kinnaur before the snowfall. Adequate moisture in the soil will also boost natural regeneration in degraded forests.
