Agriculture officials prepare for Vanakalam in Hanamkonda

Paddy cultivation is projected to cover 1.50 lakh acres, and officials are urging farmers to focus on cultivating fine varieties of rice instead of normal varieties, as the FCI has shown interest in procuring fine variety rice

Hanamkonda: As the southwest monsoon is expected to arrive in Telangana between June 7 and 15, officials from the Agriculture Department are making necessary arrangements to ensure sufficient stocks of seeds and fertilizers for the upcoming Vanakalam (Kharif) season. The department estimates that approximately 2.42 lakh acres of land will be cultivated during this season, slightly lower than the normal cultivable area of 2.50 lakh acres in the district.

Paddy cultivation is projected to cover 1.50 lakh acres, and officials are urging farmers to focus on cultivating fine varieties of rice instead of normal varieties, as the Food Corporation of India (FCI) has shown interest in procuring fine variety rice. Additionally, the cultivation of red gram and maize is expected to increase due to favorable market prices. However, the area under cotton cultivation may decrease to 85,000 acres compared to last year’s 87,000 acres due to a decline in prices.

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To ensure quality of seeds available to farmers, officials have formed special Task Force teams in association with the police to crack down on the sale of counterfeit or substandard cotton and other seeds in the district, following the State government’s directives.

District Agriculture Officer (DAO) Ravinder Singh emphasized the importance of timely preparation by farmers, urging them to till and level their land in advance so that they can begin sowing crops as soon as the monsoon arrives.

Crop                      Area                    Seeds (Quintals)

Paddy                 1.50 lakh acres             37,500

Maize                  6,000 acres                  480

Pulses                 700 acres                      28

Oilseed crops     300 acres                   180

Cotton               85,000 acres               1.70 lakh packets

Fertilizer Requirement:

Urea:                 35,505 MTs

DAP:                  13,150 MTs

Complex:          32,875 MTs

Potash:             10,520 MTs