HYDERABAD: Going by early cropping trends, farmers across Telangana appear to have made up their minds to go for alternative crops this Rabi season. As against 46,49,676 acres being the normal area of cultivation, as of November 24, farmers have sown their crops in 7,19,105 acres. A major shift was seen in maize, which has taken a leap from 5,811 acres sown by this time last Rabi, to 71,767 acres this season.
Groundnut cultivation has also gone up from 1,03,521 acres by this time last year to 2,72,314 acres this season. It has especially seen a jump in Nagarkurnool district by 16,000 acres above the season’s normal area sown, and is being cultivated in 1,36,024 acres till now.
Bengal gram and black gram have been sown in 2,29,501 acres and 53,612 acres respectively, which is a major shift compared to last year. Green gram is being cultivated in 6,536 acres. Cultivation of pulses has seen a jump in Nagarkurnool from 1,738 acres to 17,376 acres, in Wanaparthy from 3,809 acres to 24,897 acres and in Jogulamba Gadwal from 5,572 acres to 18,684 acres.
Though not on a large scale, farmers are cultivating millets like ragi and foxtail millet (Mahabubnagar) and pulses like horse gram, cowpea and red gram. Sesamum is being grown in 530 acres, but there is still time from January 15 till February 15 for farmers to sow it.
According to Dr. M Padmaiah, retired principal scientist, Indian Institute of Oilseeds Research (IIOR), farmers growing cotton in black soils who extend their harvest till January can go for sesamum, which can yield 3-7 quintals per hectare and can fetch any price between Rs 8,000 and Rs 10,000 per quintal.
Farmers don’t seem to be leaning towards castor, which is traditionally grown in around 80,000 acres in the State. Till now, paddy has been sown only in 745 acres, which points to the wait-and-watch approach being adopted by farmers in view of the prevailing issues with paddy production.