ONGOLE: After a prolonged dry spell of over six weeks, the Prakasam district in Andhra Pradesh experienced a much-needed rain spell over the last four days. The region, which had been suffering from drought-like conditions, received an average rainfall of approximately 35 mm, bringing hope to farmers and rejuvenating dying crops.
Srinivasa Rao, Joint Director- Agriculture (JD-A) stated that as the district benefits from this much-needed rainfall, farmers and tobacco growers are optimistic about the prospects for their agricultural activities in the coming season, and will go for their Rabi seasonal crop cultivation.
Between November 4 and 7, the district received a total rainfall of 1,282.8 mm. Notably, on November 6, the district experienced particularly heavy rainfall, with an average of 24.2 mm. Singarayakonda received the highest rainfall at 98.2 mm, followed by Kothapatnam (76.2 mm), Ponnaluru (64.4 mm), Tangutur (50.4 mm), and Ongole (48.4 mm). Mundlamur mandal received the lowest of 10.2 mm rainfall. Mandals in the eastern parts of the district witnessed heavier downpours compared to their western counterparts.
The recent rain showers have brought relief to Kharif seasonal crops such as red gram, cotton, chilies, and paddy. Additionally, they provide a positive outlook for Rabi season cultivation, including Bengal gram and tobacco plantations, in areas like Kondepi, Ongole, Santha Nuthala (SN) Padu, Darsi, and Kanigiri Assembly segments.
Expressing relief, one farmer stated that in view of the recent rainfall, they are ready to take up tobacco cultivation in their crop field. “Earlier we used to provide water to our crops twice a week through water tankers on a rent basis and now, we are confident that we will get good a yield this year too” T Anjaneyulu, a tobacco farmer from Maddipadu mandal explained.
Simultaneously, the Tobacco Board has granted permission to cultivate tobacco crops across approximately 49,500 hectares under the Southern Black Soil (SBS) and Southern Light Soil (SLS) regions.
It is estimated that these regions will yield around 89.98 million kilograms for the 2023-24 tobacco season. Tobacco farmers in the area have high hopes for this upcoming season, as they received excellent prices for their 2022-23 yields. Encouraged by recent rainfall, tobacco farmers are preparing for extensive cultivation. However, the surge in demand for tobacco seedlings has resulted in inflated prices. Nursery farmers, cultivating tobacco seedlings on nearly 1,000 hectares, have significantly increased their prices.
Previously, a bag of tobacco seedlings (approximately 6,000 seedlings) was sold for Rs 1,000 to Rs 1,200. Since the recent rains, the same bag is being sold for Rs 2,000 to Rs 2,500, depending on the seedlings’ quality. Speaking to TNIE, Auction Superintendent at Auction Platform No-23 in Ongole-2, K Rama Krishna, informed that they distributed 5,000 marigold seedlings to tobacco growers as trap crops.
