THE HINDU Editorial Vocabulary - April 18, 2018 - Topic 1

Chasing the monsoon

The forecast of a normal monsoon has brought relief all around. For farmers, the India Meteorological Department’s estimate that rainfall during the summer, between June and September, will be 97% of the 50-year average of 89 cm, is bound to raise fresh expectations. This is the third year in a row that they can look forward to a high output for a variety of crops, although fiscal realities have come in the way of realising higher farm incomes. The Centre has been supportive of higher returns through the Minimum Support Price mechanism and additional bonuses have been announced by States such as Madhya Pradesh for procurement, but these have helped mainly rice and wheat. 

From a water management perspective, though, this trend has led to a skew towards these crops, which are heavily dependent on groundwater. Now that another year of good cropping is expected, and unremunerative prices will depress public sentiment, it is vital for the Centre to arrive at a policy that gives constructive advice to farmers on the ideal cropping mix and help them get the cost-plus-50% margin that it has promised them. The IMD’s decision to provide a more fine-grained forecast on the monsoon’s progress, particularly in the central and northern regions, will meet a long-felt need and can potentially guide farmers better.

The long-term challenge is to make the most of the rainfall that India gets, ranging from a few hundred millimetres or less in the northwest to more than a few thousand millimetres elsewhere. The Master Plan for Artificial Recharge to Ground Water drawn up by the Centre should be pursued scientifically, to help States with the most water-stressed blocks get adequate funds to build artificial recharge structures. Moreover, for those farmers who choose to continue with wheat and rice, transfer of expertise and provision of equipment that enables efficient utilisation of water is vital. An estimate of water used to grow rice and wheat, measured in cubic metres per tonne, shows that India uses more than what, say, China does. In the case of cotton, the figures present an even more staggering contrast: 8,264 cubic metres for India, against 1,419 for China. Combined with distortions in procurement subsidies, water stress due to such use is inevitable. On the monsoon as a whole, studies indicate a change in the pattern since 1950. There is an increase in daily average rainfall since 2002, barring some of the worst El Niño years, likely due to higher land temperatures and cooler oceans. What is well known is that a good monsoon raises agriculture’s contribution to GDP growth, while a drought year depresses it. Clearly, governments need to invest consistently to harvest the monsoon, both on the surface and underground, with community participation.

Vocabulary

Estimate: an approximate calculation or judgment of the value, number, quantity, or extent of something.

Example: At a rough estimate, our staff is recycling a quarter of the paper used

Synonyms: rough calculation, approximation, estimation, rough guess

Expectations: a strong belief that something will happen or be the case in the future.

Example: Reality had not lived up to expectations

Synonyms: supposition, assumption, presumption, conjecture, surmise

Supportive: providing encouragement or emotional help.

Example: The staff are extremely supportive of each other

Synonyms: encouraging, caring, sympathetic, reassuring, understanding

Procurement: the action of obtaining or procuring something.

Example: Financial assistance for the procurement of legal advice

Depress: make someone feel utterly dispirited or dejected.

vThat first day at school depressed me

Synonyms: sadden, dispirit, cast down, get down, dishearten, demoralize

Elsewhere: in, at, or to some other place or other places

Example: He is seeking employment elsewhere

Synonyms: somewhere else, in/at/to another place, in/at/to a different place

Pursue: follow someone or something in order to catch or attack them.

Example: The officer pursued the van

Synonyms: follow, run after, chase, hunt, stalk, track, trail, shadow

Equipment: the necessary items for a particular purpose.

Example: Office equipment

Synonyms: apparatus, paraphernalia, articles, appliances, impedimenta

Stagger: walk or move unsteadily, as if about to fall.

Example: He staggered to his feet, swaying a little

Synonyms: lurch, walk unsteadily, reel, sway, teeter, totter, stumble, wobble

Distortion: the action of distorting or the state of being distorted.

Example: The virus causes distortion of the leaves

Contribution: a gift or payment to a common fund or collection.

Example: Charitable contributions

Synonyms: donation, gift, offering, present, handout, grant, subsidy

Consistent: unchanging in achievement or effect over a period of time.

Example: Manufacturing processes require a consistent approach

Synonyms: constant, regular, uniform, steady, stable, even