Telangana govt proposes advancement of crop season to mitigate unseasonal rain risks, reduce farmer losses

Authorities have suggested promoting the cultivation of paddy and other crop varieties that can be harvested in a shorter period of time

Hyderabad: In an effort to protect farmers from the risks posed by unseasonal rains and minimize crop losses, the State government is planning to propose advancing the crop season by 3-4 weeks.

Additionally, authorities have suggested promoting the cultivation of paddy and other crop varieties that can be harvested in a shorter period of time. A draft report has been prepared and will be submitted to the Cabinet sub-committee on Agriculture for consideration.

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For several years, the Vaanakalam (Kharif) cropping season in Telangana has started in July and ended in October-November during the south-west monsoon, while the Yasangi (Rabi) cropping season began in December and concluded in March-April.

However, due to climate changes, the state has experienced frequent erratic rains during the months of October-November and March-April, which are the harvesting periods for both Vaanakalam and Yasangi seasons.

Consequently, farmers have suffered significant crop losses, negatively impacting overall production. In the previous year alone, approximately four lakh acres of crops in the Vaanakalam season and an additional 1.5 lakh acres in the Yasangi season were damaged due to unseasonal rains.

Agriculture Minister S Niranjan Reddy recently stated, “Though the agriculture sector has made significant progress due to farmer-friendly measures implemented by the State government in the last nine years, unseasonal rains have become a challenge for both farmers and the government. Paddy and other crops are experiencing losses before the harvesting period.”

To address these losses, Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao has proposed advancing the crop season and appointed the Cabinet sub-committee led by Niranjan Reddy to examine the issue.

A team of agricultural scientists and officials has prepared proposals to advance the crop season by nearly one month. Accordingly, the Vaanakalam crop sowing will commence in June and be completed by July, while the Yasangi crop sowing will start in November and conclude in December.

“By starting the season earlier, farmers can synchronize their planting schedules with the prevailing weather conditions, reducing vulnerability to unexpected rainfall during critical growth stages. This will also enable them to take advantage of the early monsoon showers, which are sufficient for germination and the initial growth of crops like paddy,” explained an official from the Agriculture department. Advancing the harvesting of the Yasangi crop before the first week of April will also ensure reduced wastage during the milling of raw rice.

Furthermore, officials have developed plans to promote crop advancement and raise awareness among farmers. Some success has already been achieved in encouraging farmers to advance sowing operations at the field level in certain areas.

However, there is a need to educate farmers on this issue through large-scale campaigns. It is proposed to organize farmers’ meetings and training programs across the state to create a significant impact in this regard.