With the overall monsoon rainfall deficiency likely to cross the 15% mark, the Centre is advising farmers in the rain deficient states to undertake a swap crops to suit the lower availability of water.

It has asked states that are likely to suffer a drought to make available to farmers all infrastructural assistance to see them through the difficult period.

"The situation has started drifting after the monsoon rainfall till the third week of June 2004, which was normal," an agriculture ministry official said adding the chief secretaries and other officials of the concerned states are already keeping a close watch on the situation.

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The crop contingent plan for the first two weeks of August has recommended that Haryana farmers transplant a special variety of Bajra as grain crop or to directly sow it as fodder crop in Hisar, Bhiwani, Sirsa, Mahendergarh, Gurgaon and parts of Rohtak district.

For Bhilwara, Tonk, Dungarpur, Ajmer, Chittaurgarh, Rajasamand, Jalore, Sikar, Jodhpur and Churu districts in Rajasthan, the plan recommends planting of varieties of sesame, green gram and sorghum as fodder crop.

The official said it was essential to protect the livestock at this juncture as the drought like situation could lead to shortfall in fodder.

The crop contingent plan would be successful in case sufficient rain is received July 27 onwards, says the plan report.

"In the light of monsoon behaviour, the farmers are advised not to do paddy transplanting till the monsoon activity is regained especially in Punjab, Haryana and Western Uttar Pradesh," says the weather-based agriculture management study of the Indian Council of Agriculture Research (ICAR).

In Andhra Pradesh, wherever the monsoon is delayed, paddy, sorghum, millet, maize and ragi may be replaced by green and black gram.

For Madhya Pradesh, the ICAR study says, in case of delayed monsoon, "It is advised to farmers that sowing of long duration varieties should not be taken now even if rainfall occurs next week and they should go for short duration varieties."

The agriculture ministry believes that even a minor revival of the monsoon could affect the moisture level of the crop and therefore its quality.

In case of UP, paddy area may be diverted to pulses, til and fodder, the report said. It recommendations that picking of fruit and vegetables be restricted to morning and evening hours only.