Fresh requirement of seed being assessed in Telangana

Rains battered the State at a time when the sowing operations were gathering pace.

Hyderabad: Agriculture officials have tasked themselves with the assessment of seed requirement in the State in the wake of heavy rains and consequent floods impacting the Kharif crops.

Rains battered the State at a time when the sowing operations were gathering pace. Floods affected the crops early at the germination stage in several districts including Mulugu, Bhupalapally, Nizamabad and Adilabad.

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The State government is keen on reach out to the affected farmers by ensuring seed availability after assessing the actual requirement. The crop coverage was close to 70 lakh acres in the State by the time heavy rains lashed different districts in north Telangana. The area covered by cotton sowings touched nearly 42 lakh acres, while paddy area was close to 16 lakh acres.

Except for pockets where crops were inundated by flood waters, the impact was said to be marginal. The scope of their revival is high, said officials. As part of the contingency plans, officials are keeping a tab on seed supply outlets. Moves are afoot to make the seed varieties preferred by the growers.

As per the National Disaster Management Authority guidelines for award of crop compensation, it can be considered as crop loss if there is reduction by 33 per cent either in yield or in crop area. Officials in all the districts concerned have been asked to monitor the situation and ensure availability of seeds and fertilizes to farmers.

As almost all the Godavari basin projects are filled to the brim, irrigation to the Kharif crops has been assured. The project wise irrigation scheduled are being worked out by irrigation officials in coordination with the Agriculture Department.