Imphal: Manipur‘s valley districts are facing the threat of a severe agricultural setback as delayed monsoon rains and inadequate irrigation infrastructure leave vast paddy fields dry, disrupting the ongoing Kharif cultivation season. With transplantation delayed well into July, farmers fear a sharp decline in rice production and growing risks to food security.
While farmers in the hill districts of Ukhrul and Tamenglong have benefited from timely rainfall and are progressing with Kharif cultivation, the situation in the state’s valley regions, particularly Thoubal district, remains grim. Large stretches of farmland have turned parched due to the delayed arrival of the monsoon, leaving cultivators unable to begin the crucial paddy transplantation process.
The crisis has been compounded by the lack of an effective irrigation network. Despite the availability of rivers, reservoirs and dams, farmers say inadequate canal infrastructure has left them almost entirely dependent on rainfall. They argue that the absence of a robust irrigation system has exposed the state’s agricultural sector to recurring climate-related disruptions.
Farmer representatives have described the situation as a policy failure rather than solely a consequence of erratic weather. They have urged the state government to invest in long-term irrigation infrastructure, including the construction of canal networks to ensure a reliable water supply to agricultural fields.
The farmers’ wing of the Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI), along with the Irabot Foundation, has appealed to the Government of Manipur to formulate a comprehensive irrigation policy and appoint agriculture experts to strengthen the state’s farming sector.
They have also called on scientific institutions, including the ICAR Research Complex for NEH Region, Manipur Centre and Central Agricultural University (CAU), Imphal, to accelerate research on drought-tolerant paddy varieties capable of withstanding increasingly erratic monsoon conditions.