Farming community is buoyant about the prospects of the crops this year. The widespread rains across the district triggered agriculture activity at once. Cultivators of rain-fed crops took up sowing while farmers of other crops started land preparation and other operations.
According to agriculture scientists, cropping pattern is likely to change this year due to the early monsoon which was reported after a gap of ten years.
Dr. G. Narasimha Rao, retired scientist of Agriculture University, is of the view that groundnut, maize and paddy are likely to increase in size this year. Groundnut will support red gram, which is cultivated as popular intercrop in the district.
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Cotton will remain more or less the same or display some improvement due to stable prices and less pest problem last year. The pest-resistant BT cotton occupied more than 90 per cent of the total cropped area now.
Dr. Narasimha Rao said more than the early monsoon, there should be no incidence of dry spells during the crop cycle for bumper crops. Dry spells cause more harm than the late monsoon.
Meanwhile, castor is likely to be less patronised this year due to unstable prices and falling yields last year. Maize or cotton will benefit from the unpopularity of the castor.
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Farmers took up sowing of cotton in Yemmiganur, Adoni and Gonegandla areas making use of the recent rain.
The moderate flood to Tungabhadra river and filling of Sunkesula reservoir lifted the hopes of paddy farmers under KC canal.
Early transplantation would pave the way for accommodating the second crop.