Rainfall deficit threatens Kharif season in 10 Telangana districts

Telangana is facing a rainfall deficit in 10 districts, with paddy sowing at just 8.02% of the normal area. Though maize and cotton show better progress, the Kharif season remains uncertain with limited rainfall forecast in the coming weeks

Hyderabad: Rainfall deficit being experienced in ten of its 33 districts is raising alarm for the state’s agricultural sector. It is likely to cast shadow on the Kharif prospects with paddy sowing standing at less that nine per cent of the seasons normal as on July 9.

According to the information from the Telangana Development Planning Society, the cumulative rainfall from June 1 to July 9, 2025, stands at 165.5 mm, against a normal of 185.4 mm, reflecting an 11% over all deficit. The week before July 9 remained particularly dry, with the state recording just 27.5 mm of rainfall against a normal of 45.4 mm, a significant deviation of -39%.

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While the southwest monsoon has been active over Telangana lending hope to the farmers. They had pinned big hopes on the monsoon. Moderate to good rains occurred during the first week of July. However, the overall shortfall has led to uneven rainfall distribution, with ten districts- Mancherial, Peddapally, Sangareddy, Jayashankar Bhupalpally, Jangaon, Medchal, Suryapet, Nalgonda, Yadadri Bhongiri, and Hyderabad – experiencing deficit rainfall.

In all, 23 districts have received normal rainfall, offering some respite to farmers in those areas. The rainfall deficit has impacted Kharif sowing, with only 56.26 lakh acres (42.48%) sown against the normal area of 132.44 lakh acres so far. Key crops such as paddy, horse gram, groundnut, sesamum, sunflower, and castor have seen sowing rates below 25% of the season’s normal.

Paddy, a critical crop for Telangana, has been affected, with only 8.02% of the season’s normal area of 62,47,868 acres sown, covering just 5,01,129 acres. In contrast, maize sowing has exceeded expectations, reaching 102.52% of the season’s normal, with 5,34,318 acres sown against a target of 5,21,206 acres. Cotton sowing is also progressing, achieving 74.21% of the season’s normal, with 36,30,988 acres sown out of 48,93,016 acres.

The ideal sowing season for most rainfed crops in the state is between July 15 and July 25. Some crops are typically sown by the end of July. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecasted light to moderate rainfall in a few areas until July 16. Isolated heavy rainfall is expected in some districts. However, meteorologists caution that the likelihood of adequate rainfall in the next two weeks remains limited.