Uneven rains, water-intensive crops: Kharif yield concerns mount in UP

The monsoon season in Uttar Pradesh officially ends this month but the uneven distribution of rainfall it brought has made the state's farmers apprehensive about the yield of Kharif crops this time. Over half of its districts have received below-normal rainfall since June. Of the 75 districts of Uttar Pradesh, 37 have received deficient rainfall so far and seven witnessed excess, while 31 districts mostly in the central and eastern parts received normal rains, according to India Meteorological Department (IMD) data. The state's western, Rohilkhand, and central regions have been particularly impacted by this erratic monsoon pattern. Shamli, in western Uttar Pradesh, is the hardest hit, recording only 20.2 per cent of its normal rainfall. Farmers in the district are struggling with stunted crop growth due to insufficient rains, according to marginal paddy farmer Muqeem Khan. "We cannot grow paddy without sufficient rain. I have paddy sown in over two acres of land but the growth of t