If you go by the sheet of yellow covering the agriculture fields at many places in Adilabad district at present, it can be said that red gram will bring the much-needed relief to the unhappy cotton and soya bean farmers.
The farmers are expecting a bumper red gram crop and pray for weather to continue to be as conducive until harvesting starts in another couple of weeks.
The initial estimates of the area under red gram decreasing drastically got belied as it was sown in 45,000 hectares against the normal 42,000 hectares. Almost all of the red gram crop was sown as an intercrop in cotton and soyabean fields. Meanwhile, cotton and soybean crops were failed due to unfavourable weather conditions in the season earlier.
“The two good spells of rainfall in August helped the crop withstand the adverse weather which had prevailed until then,” said Asuri Ravinder, Adilabad Agriculture Officer.
Given the condition of the crop at this stage, he expects the yield to be between eight and nine quintals per hectare against a normal of seven quintals per hectare.
“This is a good development for farmers as they will see some profits through sale of red gram. The investment has been only Rs. 5,000 per acre and the minimum support price is Rs. 4,300 per quintal,” pointed out C. Narsingu, a retired agriculture officer.
All the cotton intensive areas have now become the red gram intensive areas too. The crop can be seen extensively cultivated in the tribal belt and along reservoirs of irrigation projects.
“The yield will be slightly less in the areas which do not have irrigation,” Mr. Narsingu said. He hoped that the intermittent spells of rainfall in the hilly areas would have influenced the yield on the positive side in that region.
