Niranjan Reddy thanks CM KCR for ensuring uninterrupted power supply to farm sector

Highest electricity demand of 14,747 megawatts was registered in Telangana on September 1 as against 11,198 megawatts on the same day last year, said Niranjan Reddy

Hyderabad: Agriculture Minister S Niranjan Reddy on Sunday on thanked Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao for ensuring uninterrupted free supply to the farm sector saving the standing crops during the August dry spell.

He said the highest electricity demand of 14,747 megawatts was registered in the State on September 1 as against 11,198 megawatts on the same day last year. The demand however dipped to 8891 MW on September 2 and dropped further to 7414 MW on Sunday, courtesy the rain. It has started raining in almost all the districts now.

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The agriculture sector accounted for 35 to 40 percent of the total power consumption in the State. The farm sector in the State is the largest consumer of electricity. Though the Krishna river basin projects did not receive adequate inflows for want of rains in the catchment, the crops raised in their ayacut were supported with utilization of ground water. Enough power was made available enabling farmers to protect the crops.

Despite deficit rainfall in August, the sowing operations were completed in over 1.18 crore acres so far in the Kharif season as against the target of 1.24 crore acres. Paddy was raised in 57.51 lakh acres and cotton in 44.73 lakh acres. In addition to this, 5.28 lakh acres of area was covered under maize and 4.61 lakh acres under pulses.

Farmers had gone for cultivation of crops pinning hope on the 24 hour free power facilitated by the Chief Minister, he added.