KADAPA/KURNOOL: With the timely arrival of the monsoon, farmers in Rayalaseema districts of Kadapa and Kurnool have geared up for taking up various crops during Kharif. Already, district-wise crop planning has been prepared.In Kadapa, farmers of Pulivendula are preparing to cultivate horticulture crops, groundnut, paddy and cotton, while those in Mydukur region are making arrangements for paddy, turmering, chili, cotton and vegetable cultivation. Groundnut will be cultivated in Kamalapuram, Rayachoti constituencies, while paddy will be taken up in Kadapa, Jammalamadugu, Proddatur. Cotton will be cultivated in Jammalamadugu, Proddatur and Badvel. Horticulture crops like mango, banana and oil seeds like sunflower will be taken up in Railway Koduru, Rajampet.
According to Kadapa incharge agriculture officer NCH Balu Naik, the total extent of all crops during Kharif in the district is 1,06,35 hectares and now they are making efforts to increase the cultivated acreage to 1,12,485 hectares. Paddy will be cultivated in 40,000 hectares, jowar in 4,600 hectares, redgram in 9,000 hectares and greengram in 1, 081 hectares. The district needs 1,03,500 metric tonnes of fertilisers and measures have been taken to ensure timely supply of seeds and fertilizers. Crop loan target for the current Kharif is Rs 4,275 crore.
In the neighbouring Kurnool, farmers are preparing their fields and will take up sowing activity in a couple of days. Various crops are cultivated in an extent of 6,29,000 hectares. “At present, the climate is perfect for the farmers to commence ground works for sowing,” Venkateswarlu, a farmer from Gokulapadu village in Kallur mandal, said. He added that he will take up sowing in his 10 acres in a couple of days time. He decided to cultivate groundnut and cotton, which is a norm for the region. With the forecast of normal rains, he expects a good yield.
District Joint Director of Agriculture department (JDA) G Uma Maheswaramma said that with the onset of the monsoon, the farmers in the district have started agricultural operations at a brisk pace. The district generally grows cotton in 2,70,000 hectares, groundnut in 1,20,000 hectares and paddy in 78,000 hectares as major crops, she said and added accordingly they have prepared seeds and fertilisers for distribution to the farmers through RBKs. Around 3 lakh metric tonnes of fertilisers are required for the district.