Rains dent farm operations in Telangana

Hyderabad: The incessant rains lashing Telangana in the last couple of weeks have hampered sowing and transplantation for Vaanakalam. The cultivation area is short by nearly 11 lakh acres as compared to that of the season in 2021. Officials fear that if the rains continue any further, most farmers, including those who have suffered crop […]

Hyderabad: The incessant rains lashing Telangana in the last couple of weeks have hampered sowing and transplantation for Vaanakalam. The cultivation area is short by nearly 11 lakh acres as compared to that of the season in 2021.

Officials fear that if the rains continue any further, most farmers, including those who have suffered crop losses due to excess rains, may shift to cultivation of paddy and other dry crops. This could hit the overall agriculture production in the State.
As against the normal cultivation area of 1.23 lakh crore acres in Vaanakalam, sowing operations have been completed only in 89.88 lakh acres. In the last Vaanakalam, sowing operations were completed in about 1.03 crore acres during the corresponding period.

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Agriculture officials have attributed the slow cultivation to the incessant rains which had adversely affected farm operations. With several farmers suffering damage to standing crops due to the rains, many are learnt to have slowed down the pace of farm operations. “The average rainfall received in Telangana between June 1 and August 10 was 806.6 mm as against the normal of 440.3 mm — an excess rainfall of 83 per cent,” Met officials said.

Telangana recorded an average rainfall of over 291 mm in two weeks. According to the Met Department officials, the State had recorded an average of over 291 mm within just one week from July 7.

Despite its massive cultivation target of about 70 lakh acres this season, cotton seed sowing has been completed in only 47.59 lakh acres. However, it is the only crop closer to its normal cultivation area of 49.96 lakh acres.

In the last Vaanakalam, cotton cultivation was taken up in about 65 lakh acres and soyabean in 3.77 lakh acres which is also closer to its normal cultivation area of 3.93 lakh acres.

Paddy cultivation and transplantation have been severely disrupted, with cropping area of 23.91 lakh acres against the normal cultivation area of 42 lakh acres. Paddy was cultivated in about 32.28 lakh acres during the corresponding period last Vaanakalam. Raising of paddy nurseries and transplantations are expected to be taken up in full swing in the next couple of weeks.

Similarly, cultivation of maize, red gram, green gram and black gram has also been adversely affected due to the continuous downpour.