KURNOOL: Several parts of the State have received good rainfall during the monsoon and many coastal areas bore the brunt of the heavy rains triggered by Gulab cyclone, but in Kurnool district the situation is different. With insufficient rainfall in the last two months, the standing crops look dried, making the farmers in the district a worried lot.
As per officials, 83,800 hectares of lands have been cultivated in the district during the ongoing Kharif season against the normal cultivation area of 92,387 hectares. Actually, the monsoon has started in the district earlier than the previous year.
However, for the past 60 days, there has been scanty rainfall. Just 76.60 mm of rainfall was recorded in the district against the normal rainfall of 135mm in the month of August. In September, the district received just 70.70mm rainfall against the normal rainfall of 125.70mm.
“Due to the drought situation, almost 90 per cent of standing crops, which were cultivated two months ago, look dried. If the situation continues for a few more days, the crops will totally dry,” said D Sunkanna, a farmer from Ulchala village in Kurnool mandal. He cultivated onions in his 2 acres of land, but lack of rains affected the crop badly.
Sunkanna said his other crops like groundnuts will also meet the same fate if there are no rains in the coming days.Interestingly, the district received excess rainfall at the beginning of the Kharif season. The district received 117.30mm rainfall in June against normal monthly rainfall of 77.20 mm. In July, the district got 174.70 mm rainfall against the normal rainfall of 117.20mm.
AP farmers’ association district president Jagannatham said the situation is due to lack of water storage facilities in the district. People, particularly in the western part of the district including Kurnool city, have been facing acute water shortage.With the present drought situation, farmers are worried about their standing crops and eagerly waiting for rains.
CPM district secretary K Prabhakar Reddy demanded that the government declare the district as drought-hit. He, along with several farmer association delegates and party workers visited various parts of the district and inspected the “dried up” crops. He urged the government to construct irrigation projects in the district to store rainwater.
Speaking to TNIE, district Joint Director of agriculture department Vara Lakshmi said that they suggested that the farmers use pesticides like urea to save the crops temporarily. She said the officials are preparing a special report on dried up crops and losses across the district to be submitted to the State government for taking suitable action.