Shimla, Aug 12 - It's been a double whammy for farmers in Himachal Pradesh, known as India's fruit bowl. After poor snowfall last winter, it's deficient rainfall this monsoon that has struck a telling blow.

'We have reason to panic,' Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal conceded to IANS.

'The deficient rainfall so far has triggered drought-like conditions across the state. Over 80 percent of the cultivated area is rain-fed. Crops have been damaged badly, particularly in the low and mid-hills,' Dhumal added.

The chief minister said deficit monsoon rains have damaged both the kharif crop now and the rabi crop in winter, when the rains were more than 50 percent below normal. 'This is the third successive crop failure in the state.'

The meteorological office here said nine of the state's 12 districts have received deficient rains so far.

'The overall monsoon situation is still precarious. The deficiency in the cumulative rainfall from June 1 till Aug 3 was 51 percent in nine districts,' said met director Manmohan Singh.

As a result, says an initial survey by the agriculture department, cash crop production fell more than 50 percent in several districts, and in some cases, by as much as 80 percent.

'Maize crop is likely to decline by over 40 percent. Similarly, pulses and vegetables have also been hit. The survey is on to know the exact losses,' said agriculture secretary Ram Subhag Singh, basing his assumption on the initial survey.

Said farmer Sukchain Singh of Bilaspur: 'Generally, the sowing of maize crop is over by mid-June. This time due to the lack of rains, the sowing season has been pushed back three weeks. Now erratic rains could delay sprouting of the seeds.'

The production of apple, the main crop of the state, is also down 35-40 percent.