Dry spell casts shadow on hopes of cotton farmers

Though good rainfall was forecast by the IMD from July to September this year in the State, the dry spell that lasted for more than a couple of weeks had its bearing on all rain-fed crops.

Hyderabad: The dry spell prevailing over many of the districts in the State has cast a shadow on the hopes of cotton farmers. Many of them are planning to go for a second spell of sowing because of poor germination in the absence of minimum moisture levels in the soil.

The seed availability and the cost involved in sowing the seed again in less than a month is likely to prove a major deterrent forcing the farmers to opt for alternate crops.

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Pinning big hopes on the forecast of good rains this years, farmers had gone for cultivation of cotton crop in a big way. Cotton sowing was completed in over 40 lakh acres in the State in the first fortnight of June.

Though the rainfall was more or less normal in half the districts, it was reported to be deficient in the districts of Mancherial, Peddapalli, Adilabad, Asifabad, Kothagudem, Khammam, Siddipet and Kamareddy.

Rainfall received in the first fortnight was deficient by 45 mm in Adilabad, 74 mm in Mancherial, 44 mm in Nirmal, 38 mm in Nizamabad, 58 mm in Peddapalli, 44 mm in Bhupalpalli, 34 mm in Jagitial, 20 mm in Bhadradri Kothgudem, 38 mm in Karimnagar and 31 in Rajanna Sircilla, 28 mm in Kamareddy and 39 mm in Mulugu.

Though good rainfall was forecast by the IMD from July to September this year in the State, the dry spell that lasted for more than a couple of weeks had its bearing on all rain-fed crops. It was more so on cotton.

Farmers with small land holdings have been adding to the moisture level in the soil by using sprinklers to ensure better germination. However, farmers who raised the crop in five to ten acres were not in a position to save their crops.

If the dry spell continues for another one week to ten days, they would be in for huge losses at the beginning of the Kharif season, according to reports from districts such as Nirmal and Kothagudem. The seed availability for the second sowing would be another major problem this year.

Though the Department Agriculture had assured of steps to facilitate seed supply as per demand, farmers said they were facing shortage of the most sought after varieties of seeds. Agriculture officials, however, said the fate of the seed cannot be decided in just over a couple of weeks.

There is no shortage in seed supply as well, they claimed.