Yields of rainfed crops may fall drastically

VV Balakrishna
First Published : 31 Aug 2009 03:03:00 AM IST
Last Updated : 31 Aug 2009 09:42:25 AM IST

HYDERABAD: The effect of drought is now being felt.

Twenty three per cent of crops sown have withered due to lack of sufficient rain.

The total cropped area is 49.57 lakh hectares against the normal 79.07 lakh hectares.

Though, with the late rains infused some confidence among farming community, the farmers in almost all the districts were facing pest and disease problems.

Now, officials are estimating that due to dry spell in the first two months, the yield levels of rainfed crops may be reduced drastically during Kharif season.

According to the statistics available with the Agricultural Department, cotton and soyabean are the only crops sown in more than 100 per cent of the normal sowing area. Horsegram and chillies were sown in less than 25 per cent area.

Due to the recent rains the agricultural activity picked up. The total area sown in the State is 49.57 lakh hectares, i.e. 63 per cent of the normal sowing of 79.07 lakh hectares till this week.

Paddy, bajra, sunflower, seasamum and mesta were sown covering 26 to 50 per cent area. Jowar, ragi, maize, redgram, green gram, black gram, groundnut, castor, sugarcane, onion and turneric were sown in 76 to 100 per cent area.

The agricultural activity is in full swing only in Nellore, Nizamabad, Karimnagar, Rangareddy and Adilabad districts.

The activity is yet to pick up in Anantapur, Guntur, Nalgonda, Kadapa and Prakasam districts. The activity was moderate in the remaining districts, according to official sources.

Erratic rainfall in the State has resulted in poor sowing of rainfed crops. With the recent rains, the transplantation of paddy is in progress. Where moisture is available, the inter cultivation operations are in progress in early sown crops.

The standing crop of sugarcane is at vegetative stage. The early sown groundnut is at peg penetration to harvesting state. Ragi is at dough stage. Pulses and soyabean are at vegetative to flowering stage. Cotton is at boil development stage.

The yield of kharif paddy is also likely to be reduced as the plantation was completed in only 12.42 lakh hectares. This is only 49 per cent of the seasonal plantation area. In khariff-2008, plantation of paddy was completed in 19.03 lakh hectares by the end of August.

The cotton was the only crop which was sown in 105 per cent area than the normal area. Cotton was sown in 12 lakh hectares till date as against the normal area of 11.41 lakh hectares.

The sparse commodity red gram was sown only in 2.92 lakh hectares against the normal area of 4.52 hectares. In all foodgrains were sown in 23.24 lakh hectares against the normal area of 42.09 hectares. Chillies were also sown only in 0.34 lakh hectares against the normal area of 1.62 hectares.

vvbalakrishna@epmltd.com