Question
How dependence on erratic monsoon is acting as a problem to Indian agriculture?
Solution
Dependence on erratic monsoon is acting as a problem to Indian agriculture in following ways:
(i)Irrigation covers only about 33 percent of the cultivated area in India. The crop production in rest of the cultivated land directly depends on rainfall.
(i)Irrigation covers only about 33 percent of the cultivated area in India. The crop production in rest of the cultivated land directly depends on rainfall.
(ii)Poor performance of south-west Monsoon also adversely affects the supply of canal water for irrigation. On the other hand, the rainfall in Rajasthan and other drought-prone areas is too meagre and highly unreliable.
(iii)Even the areas receiving high annual rainfall experience considerable fluctuations. This makes them vulnerable to both droughts and floods.
(iv)Drought is a common phenomenon in the low rainfall areas which may also experience occasional floods.
(v)The flash floods in drylands of Maharashtra, Gujarat, and Rajasthan in 2006 are examples of this phenomenon. Droughts and floods continue to be twin menace in Indian agriculture.
