Vanakalam: 88 per cent area to be under paddy cultivation in Medak

Paddy is expected to be cultivated in 3.27 lakh acres.

Medak: In a record of sorts, the area under paddy cultivation amounts to nearly 88 per cent of the total area under cultivation in Medak district.

According to the Vanakalam crop plan prepared by the Agriculture department in Medak, the total area under cultivation is put at 3.73 lakh acres, in which the paddy is expected to be cultivated in 3.27 lakh acres. All the remaining crops will be cultivated in 46,000 acres. The second most cultivated crop in Medak is cotton. However, the area under cotton is expected to be just 40,619 acres. As the IMD is predicting copious rains this year, the area under cultivation is expected to go up to 3.73 lakh acres compared to 3.43 lakh acres last year. The area under cultivation would increase by 30,000 acres this Vanakalam.

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Since Medak district has irrigation projects such as Singur, Ghanpur Anicut, Haldi Vagu and many check dams and irrigation tanks, the district had abundant water availability which allow farmers to cultivate paddy crops. Some of the lands located downstream of tanks, Ghanpur anicut and other projects were suitable for paddy where no other crops usually survive.

Speaking to Telangana Today, District Agriculture Officer (Medak) M Govindu said farmers would need 78,500 quintals of paddy seeds and 230 quintals of cotton seeds. The farmers would also need nearly 69,000 metric tonnes of different fertilisers which the farmers would apply in a phased manner on soils, he said, adding that stocks of seeds and fertilisers had started arriving at stock points which they would make available at Agro Rythu Seva Kendras soon.