The sustained delay in proper onset and spread of monsoon rain has hit sowing and transplantation operations of the Vanakalam (kharif) crop season by nearly 30% as the State’s average rainfall deficit continues to be very high at 52% and with the district-wise average deficit going up to 78%.
According to the Agriculture department authorities, Vanakalam crops have been cultivated on 14.86 lakh acres as of June 28 against 20.82 lakh acres of extent covered by the same date last year — about 28.6% less this year compared to last year.
Director (Research) of Prof. Jayashankar Telangana State Agricultural University P.Raghurami Reddy stated that the farming community need not worry about running out of time for sowing operations as many crops could be sown till July 15, and cotton, the major crop for the season, till July 20.
However, worries of the farming community are on the rise with the increasing possibility of harvesting short-duration crops such as soybean, green gram and black gram running into the peak monsoon period owing to the delay in sowing operations. They are of the view that delayed sowing also impacts the yield adversely.
“We can harvest short-duration crops such as green gram, black gram and soybean before September-end, before heavy rains that occur towards the end of the south-west monsoon period, if we sow the seed by the end of June second/ third week,” explains A.Sharnappa, a farmer in Narayankhed mandal of Sangareddy district who cultivates short-duration pulses for the past four decades.
Delay in tonset of rains has also impacted the raising of paddy nurseries hampering the State government’s plans to advance the Yasangi (rabi) crop season with early harvesting of Vanakalam crops, particularly paddy, short-duration pulses, maize, and others to prevent the damage of Yasangi crops in unseasonal rains.
Agriculture department authorities explained that sowing operations have progressed beyond 50% of the normal extent for the period only in Adilabad (60%) and Kumaram Bheem Asifabad (57.35%) till June 28. In the remaining 30 rural districts, the maximum extent covered against the normal is only 20% each in Narayanpet and Warangal districts, and in others, it ranges from 0.91% to 19.4% of the normal.
