Telangana: Agriculture faces crisis for Vanakalam amid water woes, lack of investment support

With less than 50 days remaining in the season, the cultivation of major crops like paddy, cotton, and pulses is in jeopardy.

Hyderabad: Agricultural operations have taken a severe hit in Telangana this Vanakalam (Kharif) season. Due to uncertainty over irrigation water and the absence of Rythu Bharosa investment support under the Congress regime, crop production is likely to be affected. With less than 50 days remaining in the season, the cultivation of major crops like paddy, cotton, and pulses is in jeopardy.

As of August 10, sowing operations have been conducted in only 84.6 lakh acres, just 65.4 percent of the normal cultivation area of 1.29 crore acres for the current Vanakalam season. This is a stark contrast to the corresponding period last year, when sowing was completed in 99.9 lakh acres, eventually covering 1.26 crore acres for the entire crop season.

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The decline marks a significant departure from the previous years under the BRS government, when improved irrigation water supplies and the Rythu Bandhu farm investment support spurred agricultural growth. In comparison, the crop sown area as on August 10, was an estimated 80.24 lakh acres in 2019, 1.13 crore acres in 2020, 1.04 crore in 2021, 1.02 crore acres in 2022, 95.78 lakh acres in 2023.

The unpredictability of water supply, coupled with lack of Rythu Bharosa investment support, has discouraged many farmers from planting their crops. Those in districts which are largely dependent on irrigation water supply, which has been uncertain, have mostly refrained from cultivation. Compounding these issues is the depletion of groundwater levels, which have dropped by 2.08 metres below ground level (mbgl) from 6.17 mbgl in July last year to 8.25 mbgl this year, only worsening the situation for farmers.

While sowing operations in the erstwhile districts of Adilabad, Nizamabad and Karimnagar have been relatively stable, covering around 80 percent of the normal cultivation area, the situation is dire in erstwhile districts of Nalgonda and Mahabubnagar. These areas, which depend heavily on Krishna River water, have seen less than 60 percent of land cultivated. The truncated Nalgonda district with the largest cropping area of around 11 lakh acres, has only 6.12 lakh acres under cultivation.

Agricultural scientists fear that this could be Telangana’s lowest crop sown area for the Vanakalam season in the last five years, resulting in a significant drop in overall crop production. Sugarcane, paddy, pulses, major millets, oilseeds, and cotton are among the worst affected crops. While there is some hope for an increase in paddy crop area due to its short cultivation period, the outlook for other crops remains bleak.