Thanks to the recent rains, agricultural operations have picked up in Karimnagar district with farmers taking up the cultivation of ID (irrigated dry) crops.
A fortnight ago, the area of cultivation in the district during the kharif season was 78 per cent. Now, it has reached 99 per cent. Against the normal area of cultivation of 5,18,349 hectares during the kharif season, farmers cultivated in 5,15,713 hectares till Friday. During the last kharif season, farmers had cultivated a larger area following the bountiful rains.
However, crops such as paddy, maize and cotton did not achieve the target till Friday. Paddy was cultivated in 1,61,394 hectares against the normal area of 1,63,574 hectares.
Paddy was cultivated in 2,13,934 hectares during the last kharif season.
Similarly, maize was cultivated in 53,622 hectares against the normal area of 57,432 hectares and during the last kharif season, it was cultivated in 63,540 hectares. Likewise, cotton cultivation reached only 2,23,334 hectares against the normal area of 2,30,668 hectares.
Last kharif season, cotton was cultivated in 2,33,248 hectares.
Due to poor rainfall, majority of farmers had to opt for ID crops such as black gram, soya bean, vegetables and other pulses.
