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Dry spell continues across Telangana
Continuous dry spell in the State has cast a shadow on the rain-fed crops this Kharif season. With no rains in the last 20 days, cotton, maize, red gram, green gram and soyabean crops are fast withering.
Hyderabad: Continuous dry spell in the State has cast a shadow on the rain-fed crops this Kharif season. With no rains in the last 20 days, cotton, maize, red gram, green gram and soyabean crops are fast withering.
While cotton was sown in nearly 15 lakh hectares, maize was sown in 5 lakh hectares followed by red gram in 4.50 lakh hectares, soyabean in nearly 3 lakh hectares and green gram in 1.50 lakh hectares. On the advice of government and officials, farmers opted for cultivation of dry crops, particularly pulses.
Officials of the Agriculture Department said as per reports received from mandal offices, about 30 per cent crops have already statrted withering due to dry spell which has been continuing for over two weeks. "August is a crucial month for the rain-fed crops. Unfortunately, State did not receive any rains from the first week of August," State Secretary to Agriculture N Pardhasarathi said.
While maize in Medak, Mahbubnagar, Karimnagar and Warangal districts has already wilted, cotton is on the deathbed in Nalgonda, Adilabad, Karimnagar and Warangal districts where the acreage is maximum. Similarly, red gram and green gram too on the verge of dying in Mahbubnagar, Ranga Reddy and Nalgonda districts due to non-availability of water. Soyabean crop already withered in Nizamabad and Adilabad districts.
Though all the districts received above normal rainfall till the end of July, officials said almost all the districts have come under deficit rainfall category due to sudden stoppage of rains. As per official figures, Mahbubnagar recorded minus 22 mm deficit rainfall followed by Ranga Reddy -21mm, Nalgonda -16mm, Nizamabad -9mm, Khammam -6mm and Warangal -5mm. The only district that received above normal rainfall was Karimnagar.
As the southwest monsoon season continues till September in the State, officials said the government would prepare an alternative action plan to rescue farmers from crop loss in October only. The proposal to supply water through canals to the dying crops was suspended as water levels in many reservoirs under river Krishna and Godavari districts were below the normal levels.
