The recent spell of rain has helped the standing crops overcome the moisture stress caused by a dry spell in the first fortnight of the month, even as there has been no let up in the demand for energy from agriculture sector since transplantation of paddy is gaining momentum across Telangana.
“Standing crops in about 300 out of 568 mandals, where farming is done, were facing moisture stress due to lack of precipitation after June-end, but rains have come at the right time before the crops were affected”, a plant protection wing official said.
Notwithstanding the dry spell that spanned over two weeks July-end, the kharif operations have been in swift progress with the sowings taking place in over 62% of the normal extent for the season. The extent of sowings of cotton is higher by about 2 lakh hectares already when compared to the same period last year.
So far, the sowing has been completed in over 27 lakh hectares out of the planned area of 43.25 lakh hectares for the entire kharif season. Of this, cotton has been cultivated in about 15.6 lakh hectares. The Agriculture Department has estimated that cotton could be cultivated in about 16.76 lakh hectares this season against little over 14 lakh hectares last year since many farmers who took to alternative crops such as soyabean, maize, redgram, chillies and others last year, following an advisory from the government, have returned to cotton this year.
The impact of increase in the extent of cotton on the alternative crops is already visible with the sowings of soyabean, maize and pulses including redgram, greengram and blackgram remaining much below the extent they were cultivated in the same period last year, the officials explained.
“Put together, cultivation of these alternative crops is nearly 4 lakh hectares less compared to the extent covered by them during the same period last year”, the officials stated.
Meanwhile, the energy consumption by farm sector has shot up and the demand increased alarmingly by nearly 17 million units (MU) in one day – from 147.91 MU on July 20 to 164.65 MU on July 21 following the round-the-clock uninterrupted power supply to farm feeders introduced in Medak, Siddipet, Sangareddy, Karimnagar, Sircilla, Jagityal and Peddapally districts with the paddy transplantation picking up there.
Encouraged by improved groundwater table and availability of water in irrigation sources last year, the paddy cultivation too has increased this season, compared to the same period last year. Paddy has been transplanted in about 1.85 lakh hectares so far as against 1.21 lakh hectare last year.
