Crop sowing area doubles in Telangana for Yasangi season

The total area sown in the State is 28.56 lakh acres as on Wednesday against the season normal cultivation area of 47.85 lakh acres

Hyderabad: With farmers taking up extensive sowing operations in Yasangi (Rabi) season this year, Telangana is all set to break new records.

The total area sown in the State is 28.56 lakh acres as on Wednesday against the season normal cultivation area of 47.85 lakh acres.

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However, this is nearly double the sown area of 14.81 lakh acres in Yasangi season last year as on date.

Initially, the sowing operations of Yasangi season went on at a slow pace owing to unseasonal rains coupled with delaying in harvesting operations.

However, it has picked up pace in the last a couple of weeks. Similar situation prevailed during last Yasangi season where the extent of area under cultivation zoomed to 63.13 lakh acres.

Paddy continues to dominate the Yasangi crop season. As per the latest reports from the Agriculture department, the paddy cultivation accounted for nearly 60 percent of total area sown with about 17.98 lakh acres.

During the corresponding period as on January 10 last year, the paddy sown area was only 3.85 lakh acres due to unseasonal rains and other issues.

The officials attributed it to increased availability of water supply, power and other facilities in Telangana. At present, paddy is in various stages of cultivation — from transplantations to the tillering stage — in different parts of the State.

The maize cultivation has also increased in Telangana with 3.21 lakh acres as on Wednesday this season against 2.07 lakh acres for the corresponding period last year.

The total extent of land in which pulses are being cultivated is 3.78 lakh crore which is marginally lower than last year’s 4.09 lakh acres. The sowing operations of oil seeds too is going at a slower pace, but the officials said that it would shoot up within next a couple of weeks.

As on Thursday, oil seeds were sown in an extent of 2.44 lakh acres against 3.53 lakh acres during last Yasangi season.

“In many places, paddy cultivation is at tillering stage especially Khammam, Warangal and Medak. Pulses are in various stages from vegetative to flowering. At this pace, we expect the overall crop sown area during the current season to surpass last Yasangi season’s record cultivation of 63.13 lakh acres,” an official of Agriculture department said.