Reports on paddy cultivation across Bengal till Monday show that a total of 3.35 lakh hectares of farmland have been cultivated so far. “The figure is alarming as the traditional deadline for kharif cultivation is August 15. If the districts in south Bengal don’t get enough rainfall by the end of July, it would be tough to meet the target,” said another official. The rainfall shortage has been as much as 62 per cent of the expected amount in the rice-producing districts of south Bengal. “These five districts produce almost 65 per cent of the total paddy in the kharif season in Bengal.

Source: The Telegraph July 23, 2019 20:11 UTC