VIJAYAWADA: When the Kharif season commenced in June first week this year, farmers in the State, more so in the delta region, had doubts over getting a good yield as the dry spells continued to haunt the region.
However, things started changing from July last week, with plenty of rain and irrigation water from various projects like never before in recent years. With Nagarjuna Sagar project brimming with water, Krishna delta and several lakhs of acres under the Nagarjuna Sagar Right Canal were given irrigation water in time without any restrictions.
The State had 48 per cent deficit rainfall even in the first week of July and the sowing had not picked up due to lack of water. However, the deficit rainfall turned normal by the first week of August, with copious rains in August and September making up the deficit.
As on October 7, the deviation in the rainfall was only 8.2 per cent, which is considered normal. In August, the rainfall was 142 mm as against the normal rainfall of 58.3 mm. In September, it was 212.5 mm against the normal rainfall of 152.7 mm.
Agriculture department officials say paddy yield will be more than 100 per cent while cotton will be more than 150 per cent, compared to last Kharif. As on October 2, the sowing of paddy in a total of 93.2 per cent of the 16.25 lakh hectares of land was completed and it is expected to go beyond 100 per cent by October 15. In some areas in Guntur and Prakasam, farmers, who have not taken up paddy cultivation for the last 4-5 years due to non-availability of water, reverted to paddy cultivation this Kharif. Sk Ali Bude, a farmer of Janapadu in Piduguralla Mandal of Guntur district, says he had initially cultivated cotton in his three acres of land. However, when the water level in the Nagarjuna Sagar project increased and water was released downstream, he decided to go for paddy cultivation. Ali removed the cotton crop from 1.5 acres as it was in the initial stage and cultivated paddy. Like Ali, there are several farmers in the Palanadu region, who reverted to paddy cultivation with the availability of water.
“Normally, paddy is cultivated in 1.96 lakh hectares of land in Guntur district, but this time, we are expecting it to touch 2.3 lakh hectares,” says Guntur district joint director (Agriculture) M Vijaya Bharathi. In Krishna district, sowing of paddy is completed 100 per cent and the farmers are expecting a good yield. “Thanks to rains in August and September, paddy in Kharif appears good and we are hoping for a good yield,” says Y Narendra, a farmer leader from Krishna district.
Harvesting season commences in another 40 days and continues till January. This season, farmers are expecting to get a good harvest. “Our focus is to ensure that no pest infestations occur and accordingly we are monitoring and giving directions to the farmers for using pesticides wherever it is necessary,” says T Mohan Rao, joint director (Agriculture), Krishna district.
According to agriculture officials, out of total 42.04 lakh hectares of targeted cropping area during Kharif, 16.25 lakh hectares is paddy, 2.66 lakh hectares coarse grain, 4.26 lakh hectares pulses, 10.10 lakh hectares oil seeds (9.16 lakh hectares) and 5.63 lakh hectares cotton.
“Though there was some fear during the initial pace of Kharif with scanty rainfall, the situation changed gradually and today, the situation is normal and in case of cotton, it could be excessive. As against normal 4.12 lakh hectares, this season, cotton was cultivated in 6.4 lakh hectares, more than the targeted 5.63 lakh hectares. Paddy is normal, but the same could not be said for groundnut. The cultivated area is less than the targeted area and the reports from the ground level are not encouraging and contingency crop seed had to be distributed wherever groundnut crop had failed,” a higher official of agriculture department told TNIE.
In Rayalaseema, drought dominated the first half of the monsoon while heavy rains dominated the second half. “For those who cultivated in the initial weeks of the southwest monsoon, the prospect might not look bright, but for those who started cultivating in mid-last weeks of monsoon, the prospect holds good. However, the prospects for Rabi season hold good for all the farmers in the region due to recent rains,” says another official from the department.
