Farmers cultivating paddy in Telangana are set to overcome the loss suffered in kharif due to insufficient rains in the first half of 2016-2017, as they have taken up cultivation of the major food crop in second highest area this rabi (yaasangi) season in the last five years.
Prolonged dry spell during the crucial stages of crop cultivation twice during monsoons has not only affected the extent of cultivation but also its yield. However, with favourable conditions like ample water in irrigation projects, minor irrigation sources, improved groundwater table, and nine-hour power supply to the agriculture sector, the farmers were expecting a bumper yield this season.
“Cultivation of paddy on nearly six lakh hectares this yaasangi are also dispelling apprehensions of whether there would be enough procurement of paddy to meet the requirement of rice needed for welfare schemes such as public distribution system, supply of super fine variety rice to school and college hostels, and the mid-day meal scheme,” a senior official of the Agriculture Department told The Hindu .
Based on the increasing demand for energy from the agriculture sector, the Energy Department was estimating that that cultivation of paddy could have been taken up on nearly eight lakh hectares. “On our part, we are prepared to meet the demand from the farm sector as the total demand has been ranging between 150 to 170 million units (MU) a day for over a month now,” a TS-Transco official stated.
Considering the plans of the Irrigation Department to give water to about 22.35 lakh acres (8.94 lakh hectares) this season under major irrigation sources and estimates of cultivation of another 7.11 lakh acres (2.84 lakh hectares) under minor irrigation sources, the cultivation during rabi could be in over 12 lakh hectares with three-fourths of it covered by paddy.
Minister for Irrigation T. Harish Rao recently stated that they were expecting about 30 lakh tonnes of paddy production this yaasangi season, indicating that the actual cultivation of the food crop could be much higher than the statistics of the Agriculture Department.
