El Nino Impact: Monsoon deficit hits sowing operations in Siddipet district

A severe monsoon deficit has badly affected sowing operations in Siddipet district, where only 60,000 acres have been cultivated so far. Farmers fear they may have to resow crops as the district recorded a 49 per cent rainfall deficit until June 30.

Siddipet: A massive monsoon deficit has had a serious impact on sowing operations across Siddipet district during the vanakalam season. Since the district received hardly 50 per cent of the normal rainfall during the first month of the southwest monsoon, farmers could not complete the sowing operations.

Even those who sowed the seeds are waiting for rain as the seeds have not sprouted so far. Due to the extended dry spell, the farmers fear that they will be forced to take up sowing for a second time, which would eventually increase their investment in the crop this year.

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The expected area under cultivation during vanakalam in Siddipet is 5.85 lakh acres. Of this, paddy is expected to be cultivated in 3.85 lakh acres, cotton in 1.20 lakh acres and maize in 40,000 acres, while redgram and other crops would be cultivated in the remaining area. However, the farmers have completed the sowing of all crops in just 60,000 acres so far.

Cotton sowing has been completed in 51,000 acres so far, while maize has been sown in 7,000 acres. Since there is not enough water to meet the irrigation needs in Ananthagiri Reservoir, Ranganayaka Sagar, Kondapochamma Sagar and Mallanna Sagar, the farmers are delaying the raising of paddy nurseries. As the Congress government has failed to restore the Medigadda barrage built across the Godavari, the pumping of water into these reservoirs remains a distant dream this year.

District Agriculture Officer Swaroopa Rani said they had suggested that farmers should not go for early sowing since the IMD had predicted deficit rainfall this year. However, she said a considerable number of farmers had taken up cotton sowing. To appease the rain god, farmers performed Kappa Thaill Ata, Bathukamma and other rituals across the district, but to no avail.

The district recorded a 49 per cent rainfall deficit until June 30, receiving just 54 mm of rainfall against the normal 105.6 mm. Several mandals recorded more than a 75 per cent rainfall deficit during the last one month.