Zaid: Farming Challenges In India

Unlike the monsoon-dependent Kharif, Zaid crops (March to June) rely almost entirely on .

India needs a dedicated National Zaid Mission under the Ministry of Agriculture to address the unique seasonal vulnerabilities that fall between Kharif and Rabi policy gaps.

Ramesh was trapped. He needed to spray pesticides to save the crop, but the intense sun meant that spraying during the day would burn the leaves (phytotoxicity). He had to spray at dawn or dusk, battling fatigue and the sheer scale of the infestation. The cost of pesticides rose, adding to his debt. zaid farming challenges in india

Zaid crops are naturally heat-tolerant, but the recent trend of is disrupting traditional patterns.

For Ramesh, the Zaid season was not just a farming cycle; it was a hopeful corrective. The previous Kharif season had been erratic, and the Rabi wheat harvest had been average. He looked at the barren summer months and saw opportunity. In the local mandi (market), watermelons were selling for high prices. If he could successfully cultivate his three-acre patch with watermelons and muskmelons, he could clear the debts he had accumulated over the winter. Unlike the monsoon-dependent Kharif, Zaid crops (March to

In mid-May, a severe heatwave struck northern India. Temperatures soared to 47°C. The flowers on Ramesh’s vines began to drop—a phenomenon known as fruit abortion. The intense heat dehydrated the pollen, making fertilization impossible.

Zaid farming in India represents a . Without targeted policy, infrastructure, and technology support, it will remain a gamble for smallholders. However, with climate-adaptive strategies—drip irrigation, heat-tolerant cultivars, assured market links, and weather-based insurance—Zaid can become a resilient third pillar of Indian agriculture, improving food security and farmer incomes during the lean summer months. He needed to spray pesticides to save the

Despite its high value and quick returns, Zaid farming faces due to extreme climatic conditions, resource scarcity, and market constraints.

Farmers in states like Punjab, Haryana, and Rajasthan often have to dig deeper—sometimes over 300 feet—to reach water.