Hyderabad: Crop sowing is nearing completion in Telangana State even as the southwest monsoon started its retreat. For the first time, the total cultivation area had reached about 1.44 crore acres including 1.34 crore acres of agricultural crops and 9.87 lakh acres of horticultural crops during this monsoon season. Two crops – cotton with 60.22 lakh acres and paddy with 52.55 lakh acres, accounted for more than 1.12 crore acres under cultivation this season.
The State had witnessed 30 per cent increase in cultivation of agricultural crops. Against the normal cultivated area of 1.03 crore acres, the State had recorded cultivation of about 1.34 crore acres this year. During the Vaanakalam season last year, the total cultivation area was 1.22 crore acres.
Taking the call for regulated farming by Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao, farmers restricted themselves to crops with demand in the market. “Unlike the Vaankalam (Kharif) season last year where farmers had mostly cultivated crops en masse, several farmers chose to consult the Agriculture Department officials. We can observe a considerable increase in cultivation of pulses and horticultural crops,” an Agriculture department official told Telangana Today.
Maize had witnessed sharp decline from 10.11 lakh acres during last monsoon season to 2.25 lakh acres this season. Similarly, Jowar cultivation decreased from 1.47 lakh acres last Vaanakalam season to 1.06 lakh acres in this season. In all, the pulses cultivation has increased from 9.3 lakh acres during the previous monsoon season to 12.88 lakh acres in this Vaanakalam season. There is a marginal decline in cultivation of oil seeds from 5.25 lakh acres in the Vaanakalam season last year to 4.63 lakh acres during this Vaanakalam season.
Among horticultural crops, fruits and other perennial crops are being cultivated in orchards spread across about 5.78 lakh acres. While red chillies are being cultivated in about two lakh acres, turmeric is being cultivated in only 1.01 lakh acres. Vegetables are being cultivated in about 0.92 lakh acres in the State.
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