by Salik Ahmad in Kurukshetra, Karnal and SonipatT
hat it has yanked the government into action
suggests the situation must have been seriously
alarming. the average water table in haryana has
gone down by over 10 metres in the past 20 years. In
the regions where paddy is grown, water levels have
been depleting at the rate of one metre every year.
the crop’s appetite for water is immense—the production
of just one kilogram requires close to 5,000 litres.
To check the rapid depletion, the state government came
up with a solution two months ago—encourage farmers to
grow non-paddy crops such as maize or pulses. One kilo-
gram of corn requires 1,000-1,500 litres of water. To incen-
tivise production, the government gave them seeds for free,
a cash dole of Rs 2,000, and the promise to procure the
grain at the minimum standard price (MSP) of Rs 1,700 per
quintal. The goal of the scheme, named Jal Hi Jivan Hai,
was to divert 50,000 hectares of paddy in seven dark-zone
blocks (where the withdrawal of groundwater exceeds its
recharge) of as many districts to other crops.
The scheme made farmers apprehensive—will the yield be
as much as that of rice? Will the government procure the pro-
duce? What if the crop goes bad? It was the state that spurred
farmers to grow rice more than 50 years ago during the Green
Revolution. Decades of paddy farming in the kharif season,
the ample yield and the familiarity of it has led to compla-
cency amongst farmers who view maize with suspicion and
reluctance. However, government officials organised meet-
ings with farmers and offered free insurance to instill confi-
dence in them. Eventually, the government managed to meet
the target of 50,000 hectares and enlisted farmers who agreed
to grow paddy instead of other crops.
Rajender Tyagi, 57, a farmer in Sonipat’s Ganaur, grows
rice, wheat and vegetables. Ganaur is one of the target
blocks of the government for crop diversification. “Maize is
not profitable as the government does not acquire it. There
is a greater likelihood of stray cattle ruining the crops. They
don’t enter rice fields because of the water,” says Tyagi. He
believes the government has been soft in the scheme’s
enforcement this year in view of the upcoming assembly
elections, but will be strict from next year onwards. In
addition, there is distrust regarding the government’s
promise of insurance. “Byaah ke saare geet sachche hotehain kya (Do all the songs that people sing in weddings
come true)? You never get insurance money,” he declares.
The concerns of the peasants vary across districts in the
state. In Karnal’s Assandh, another target block of the
scheme, it is the risk of damage caused by rain that deters
farmers. “If we grow maize in this season, rain poses a
threat. Maize can’t tolerate much water. Only paddy can
stand the water that we get during monsoon,” says Avtar
Singh, 34, resident of Dera Phula Singh village. “Even
though the groundwater here is of poor quality, its level
is good. The government should discourage paddy in
areas where the water table is low.”
Avtar did not plant maize in his fields. His fears of rain
destroying the crops have been validated by the flooding in
parts of Kurukshetra, Ambala and Yamunanagar. In
Kurukshetra alone, more than 1,500 hectares have been
affected by the flooding caused by heavy rainfall. Vast
swathes of land stand submerged in water. Even paddy, let
alone maize, has been destroyed. Out of his 50 acres in
Halalpur village, Sukhwinder Singh, 32, sowed maize only
on eight, that too after the insistence of an acquaintance
who works in the agriculture department. Of the eight, the
crop on four acres has come to grief due to excessive rain.
He was the only one in the village to have planted maize.
Sukhwinder’s cousin, Pradeep Kumar, 34, argues that farm-
ers would have no issues in sowing corn if they were sure of
the returns. “Say we plant maize. Rain will create problems
later too by adding moisture to the grain. As a consequence,
we won’t get the appropriate price. The buyer will tell us that
the grain is of inferior quality and offer Rs 600-700 for a quin-rice bowl in
corny soup
Haryana is pushing for alternatives
to rice to save water. Will they work?
cover sTory
46 OutlOOk 5 August 2019