Late rains may save kharif

he rains under the impact of the depression in the Bay of Bengal during the fag end of South-West monsoon season may push kharif sown area in the State, matching it to that of last season-- 35.21 lakh hectares.

Though delayed rain and prolonged dry spells has affected the sown area across the State and particularly in the Krishna delta owing to the miserable inflows into the Srisailam and Nagarjuana projects during the peak of the season, the rains in August last week and intermittent wet spell in September will help farmers to make up for the loss to some extent, officials say.

Till September 23, kharif crops were sown in 33.53 lakh hectares against the season’s average of 42.5 lakh hectares. As of now, it is nine lakh hectares less than the normal area under cultivation. “However, with another four to five days to go, we expect the sown area to touch 35 lakh acres, reaching 81 per cent of the average,” Agriculture department sources said.

The dry spells this season has taken affected the paddy acreage which has fallen to 12.94 lakh hectares when compared to the 13.84 lakh hectares last year. In 2013, bountiful rains and timely inflows into the Srisailiam and Nagarjuna Sagar projects had increased the paddy acreage to 15.45 lakh hectares.

However, But what was lost in terms of paddy were made through alternative crops-- pulses and to some extent short yield varieties of paddy raised in dry lands, agriculture official said, adding that they were hopeful of good early rabi sowings.

Apart from paddy, ground nut yield too may come down this kharif due to delayed rains in Anantapur which received rains only in the last few days.