The prospects of Kharif cultivation have improved in Telangana to some extent over the last 10 days due to revival of monsoon, though the threat of drought conditions is still looming large with the rainfall deficit remaining high at 48 per cent till July 28.
For the record, cultivation of crops in the season has been about 90 per cent of the normal. According to the Agriculture Department officials, crops are sown/planted in about 24.75 lakh hectares as against the normal of about 27.5 lakh hectares by this time.
Ideal periodThe normal area of cultivation for total kharif season is 40.38 lakh hectares.
Cultivation of pulses, particularly green gram and red gram, has been affected badly due to the prolonged dry spell in June-July.
The ideal sowing period for the two crops was over by the time monsoon was revived about 10 days back forcing the farmers to look for cultivation of alternative crops such as red gram, jowar, minor millets and other pulses such as horse gram.
Against normal sowing of green gram and black gram in about 2 lakh ha by this time the actual area sown is only about 40 per cent (80,000 ha).
However, cultivation of cotton, red gram, maize and soybean has kept the overall extent of Kharif cultivation in an encouraging position. Paddy cultivation is likely to pick up in August with the revival of monsoon.
Power problem“We have been suggesting the farming community in 9 districts, particularly those engaged in borewell irrigation, not to take up paddy cultivation as the prospects of monsoon in the remaining two months are not much encouraging.
In case the monsoon continues to play truant even in August-September, the groundwater table will get depleted and the power supply is already a problem”, Commissioner of Agriculture B. Janardhan Reddy said.
Standing crops such as cotton, maize and soybean have been facing moisture stress till the revival of monsoon in the second week of July this year, but they are stabilising with the help of late rains, according to the agriculture officials.
Alternative cropsThe government had planned to implement the area-specific contingency cultivation plan from August first/second week but the recent rains have eased things for the time being.
“The department will suggest farmers to take up alternative crops such as jowar, red gram, castor, horse gram and others only if there is another long dry spell and the standing crops face withering”, Mr. Janardhan Reddy explained.
