Telangana’s paddy production to hit 1.6 crore tonnes

Hyderabad: Breaking its own record, Telangana’s paddy production in the Vaanakalam (kharif) season could be a whopping 1.6 crore tonnes, a quantum jump from the 1.13 crore tonnes of paddy produced last Vaanakalam, on account of the increase in area under cultivation as well as increased yield per acre in the State. The first advance […]

Hyderabad: Breaking its own record, Telangana’s paddy production in the Vaanakalam (kharif) season could be a whopping 1.6 crore tonnes, a quantum jump from the 1.13 crore tonnes of paddy produced last Vaanakalam, on account of the increase in area under cultivation as well as increased yield per acre in the State.

The first advance estimations released by the Directorate of Economic and Statistics had placed paddy production at 1.38 crore tonnes this Vaanakalam, despite a marginal drop in the extent of cultivation area from 52.77 lakh acres last year to 52 lakh acres this season. The increased production is on account of higher yield per acre this Vaanakalam season, officials told Telangana Today.

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Agriculture department officials, however, pointed out that the area under paddy cultivation was in fact, 61 lakh acres, an additional nine lakh acres, that would take the yield to 1.6 crore tonnes as against the Directorate of Economic and Statistics initial figures of 52 lakh acres and 1.38 crore tonnes respectively.

Though the area under cultivation has not increased significantly, the officials are attributing the increase in paddy production to favourable climatic conditions and increased yield per acreage. Telangana has emerged as a key rice producing State in the country.

Since State formation, the increased irrigation facilities especially Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Scheme (KLIS) and its affiliated irrigation systems, have encouraged farmers to take up paddy cultivation on a large scale.

The total production of foodgrains is expected to be around 1.09 crore tonnes (including 91.96 lakh tonnes paddy). A total 1.28 crore acres are under cultivation for agricultural crops in the State, as against the proposed cultivation area of 1.4 crore acres.

Meanwhile, cotton is being cultivated in about 50.68 lakh acres and its production is estimated around 69.46 lakh bales (weighing 170 kg each) during the current season as against 57.85 lakh bales during last monsoon season. Similarly, redgram is being cultivated in about 8.77 lakh acres and is expected to produce about 5.32 lakh tonnes. In all, the total production of pulses is expected at around 5.8 lakh tonnes against total cultivation area of 10.47 lakh acres.

Other major crops receiving good yield during the current monsoon season in the State include 21.03 lakh tonnes of sugarcane, 11.37 lakh tonnes of maize, 3.71 lakh tonnes of chillies, 2.45 lakh tonnes of turmeric, 2.43 lakh tonnes of soya, 53,000 tonnes of onions, 32,000 tonnes of greengram, 24,000 tonnes of groundnut, 22,000 tonnes of jowar and 16,000 tonnes of blackgram, among others.

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