Farmers in drought-prone Prakasam district are a worried lot due to fall in khariff acreage even as the season is set to come to close by September-end.
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The colossal waste of water from the Kandula Obul Reddy Gundalakamma reservoir at Mallavaram following repairs to crest gates has put paid to the hopes of farmers to grow crops as the snag coincided with the middle of the cropping season.
A whooping 3.5 tmc ft of water was let out from the reservoir to facilitate repairs to the gates. The entire inflow of 400 cusecs on Friday was discharged, according to a report compiled by the Water Resources Department.
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The crop coverage was only 1.31 lakh hectare so far this kharif season as against the normal of 1.71 lakh hectare, according to the data collected by the Agriculture Department. With 67.2 mm rainfall during September, the rainfall deficit was put at 13.3% during this month. The overall rainfall deficit was put at only 6% in view of 35 rainy days during July and August.
The acreage of red gram, the main pulse crop grown in the district, fell by 58% to 48,613 hectares this kharif due to late rain. The shortfall in the overall pulse coverage stood at 64,663 hectares. Paddy crop coverage was also poor as it was grown only 45% of the normal acreage of 18,000 hectares, official sources said.
Enthusiasm among the chilli growers was missing this time as they had burnt their fingers last year because of rampant thrips infestation. The acreage under chilli was only 91% of the normal at 15,783 hectares this year. Expecting a bullish market for cotton, farmers went 135% crop coverage at 39,930 hectares this time. Farmers also showed interest in growing oilseeds in over 8416 hectares. As a result, the acreage went up to 135% of the normal.
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Agriculture Joint Director S. Srininvasa Rao said the crop coverage would improve in a fortnight or so as the kharif and rabi seasons overlap in the district.
Farmers in Prakasam district are not interested in growing paddy due to lack of remunerative price for their produce, said Samyukta Kisan Morcha Prakasam district convenor Ch. Ranga Rao.
Likewise, many chilli growers avoided the spice crops this year as pest infestation took a toll last year. The non-maintenance of Gundalakmma reservoir under which 62,368 acres are grown in kharif and another 80,060 acres in rabi was also responsible for the sorry state of affairs. The government should speed up the repairs so that the ryots could cultivate crops during rabi, he added.