Farm operations gather pace in Telangana

Widespread rainfall received in almost all the districts during the past 24 hours helped revive hope for a normal Kharif season in Telangana

Hyderabad: Widespread rainfall received in almost all the districts during the past 24 hours helped revive hope for a normal Kharif season in the state. Sowings that were impacted on account of the deficient rainfall in June, gathered pace for the past two days.

A quantum jump is expected in net sowings this week, according to Officials of the Agriculture Department. Total area sown rose from 16 lakh acres to 31 lakh acres within one week. Of this, 24 lakh acres of area is covered only by cotton for which the seasonal conditions are quite favourable. The average rainfall received in the state during the past 24 hours was 25.1 mm as against 4.8 mm of normal, registering a deviation of 423 per cent.

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Almost every district received excess rainfall compared to the normal for the day. Highest rainfall of 159.5 mm was recorded at Dhoolmitta in Siddipet district. Very heavy rainfall raging from 115.6 mm to 204 mm was received in Siddipet, Jangaon, Sanga Reddy and Medak districts. Ten other districts including the state capital, Hyderabad had heavy rainfall ranging from 64.5– 115.5 mm in the day.

Two districts Vikarabad and Narayanpet had received excess rainfall if the cumulative rainfall from June 1 to July 5 was taken into account. Going by the statistics of the cumulative rainfall for the current season as many as 19 districts registered deficit rainfall and two of them largely deficit. As IMD had predicted fairly normal rainfall during July, Kharif operations were resumed in a big way.

The operations are yet to pick up in the districts of Jagitial, Jayashankar Bhupalpalli and Mulugu. The total area sown was about 12.5 per cent of the normal of 124.28 acres till the end of June. Now that the government has assured farers of water supplies to the Kharif ayacut under Kaleshwaram lift Irrigation Scheme where the lifting of water from Godavari was in progress, the operations are all set pick up in a big way.