Widespread rain across the State has led to record cultivation of pulses, maize and soybean during the current kharif with the total cropped area reaching 32.98 lakh hectares till August 11.
The area of cultivation has also increased by over 3 lakh hectares compared to the same period last year, when poor rain restricted it only to 29.94 lakh hectares. However, the government’s plan to restrict cotton cultivation to below 10.64 lakh hectares has been successful only to the extent of keeping it much below 17 lakh hectares cultivated last year, as it has already reached 11.94 lakh hectares.
“Dry spell in parts of central and southern Telangana during June-July has forced the farmers to opt for cotton again as it was impossible for them to take up soybean cultivation since cotton can withstand dry spell for over 180-day crop period with the capacity to regenerate whenever it gets moisture,” a senior official of the Agriculture Department said. The crop has already been sown in over 1.3 lakh hectares above the extent planned by the government and it could go up further as farmers in some parts take up sowing till the end of August second week.
Officials explained that the government had plans to cover an extent of 45.49 lakh hectares this kharif against the normal extent of 43.43 lakh hectares by increasing sowing of red gram to 4.85 lakh hectares, soybean to 5.02 lakh hectares and that of maize to 6.14 lakh hectares against their normal area of 2.60 lakh ha, 2.02 lakh ha and 4.91 lakh ha, respectively.
Farmers have cultivated pulses in an extent of 5.93 lakh ha this kharif against the season normal of 4.04 lakh ha with red gram cultivation in 3.99 lakh ha against the normal of 2.6 lakh ha, green gram in 1.48 lakh ha against the normal of 1.1 lakh ha and black gram in 0.45 lakh ha against the normal of 0.32 lakh ha. Similarly, soybean has been cultivated in 2.97 lakh ha against the normal extent of 2.02 lakh ha and that of maize in 5.51 lakh ha against the normal of 4.91 lakh ha.
“Good rains have improved the prospects of paddy cultivation this year and it has been cultivated in 4.04 lakh ha already. It was covered only in 2.44 lakh ha during the same period last year. It is expected to be taken up in about 11 lakh hectares this season, if good rains continue through the rest of monsoon,” the officials said.
The area of cultivation increased by over 3 lakh hectares compared to same period last year
