When Rain Becomes a Fear for Farmers

The last year remained more or less dry, with very little precipitation throughout the year. We then anticipated some precipitation during the winter season, but that again turned out to be an illusion for all of us living in this valley. There was very little, if any, rainfall throughout the winter season, and snowfall occurred very late in winter. When it finally arrived in the last few days of the season, it brought some pleasure and happiness among the people who are mainly involved in agriculture and horticulture and draw most of their livelihood from these sectors.

However, this snow did not stay long, as the temperature had significantly improved and it melted within just a few weeks. After a few sunny days, the conditions again turned dry. People were waiting for some rainfall in the season, but once again it turned out to be an illusion, and the hopes remained only hopes without materializing. There has been no rainfall till today.

Now the apprehension among farmers is that the blossoms have already bloomed, and any rainfall from now onwards may actually turn out to be quite disastrous. The significant drop in temperature that usually follows rainfall in the valley may result in these blossoms remaining without pollination, which would eventually lead to a considerable drop in fruit production later in the year.

We have been experiencing such situations for the past few years. When the blossoms bloom fully and then there is a sudden drop in temperature for a couple of days, the flowers fail to get pollinated and fall off even before maturing, which directly affects fruit production.

This year, the blossoms appeared quite early because of the rise in temperature right from the winter season. These days it hardly feels like spring; rather, it feels more like summer, as temperatures have even crossed 20°C. In fact, this February turned out to be the hottest February ever recorded in the valley.

Anyways, now we hope for a dry spell for a couple of weeks before expecting any rainfall, so that the blossoms can be properly pollinated and the fruit can begin to develop. However, contrary to these hopes, the meteorological department has predicted rainfall for about a week or even more. That would again turn out to be a nightmare for farmers, and one can already see people worried about it even before it actually happens.