Abundant rains raise hopes of bumper rabi

Abundant rains raise hopes of bumper rabi
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Highlights

A fortnight of abundant rainfall across the district could well be a blessing for farmers, whose prospects of expected yield in the ongoing kharif season is shaky, as they look for- ward to the rabi season with huge expectations.

Warangal: A fortnight of abundant rainfall across the district could well be a blessing for farmers, whose prospects of expected yield in the ongoing kharif season is shaky, as they look for- ward to the rabi season with huge expectations.

The acreage of cultivation, especially paddy, is expected to improve considerably during the rabi season, which begins in October, as 90 per cent of irrigation tanks in the district are full, owing to the copious rainfall in the region in the last two weeks.

According to the district authorities, the average rainfall received across the district during the first three weeks of September was 180 mm as against the normal average of 95 mm.

With the prevailing favourable irrigation conditions, the agriculture officials were confident that farmers can expect a good rabi season. The paddy cultivation was expected to get a fillip after farmers desisted to go for it during the kharif.

It may be mentioned here that paddy was sown in just 33,271 hectares in the ongoing kharif as against 1.44 lakh hectares normal cultivation area.

According to the agricultural department officials, the paddy cultivation will go up to 90,000 hectares this rabi as against the normal area of 74,000 hectares.

The sowing of maize was also expected to go up marginally with 40,000 hectares as against the normal 33,000 hectares. In kharif, maize was cultivated in 38,228 hectares well below the normal 49,453 hectares.

Likewise, the cultivation of redgram, jowar, greengram and groundnut was also expected to rise during the ensuing rabi season.

Speaking to The Hans India, Agricultural Officer V Bhaskar said, “As of now, the conditions for rabi are much better than the previous three years. However, the advice for farmers is to go for irrigated dry crops.”

He said that the administration has made available the required quantities of seed for the upcoming rabi. Requirement of seed for rabi: Paddy (67,500 quintals), maize (8,000 quintals), groundnut (45,000 quintals), redgram (210 quintals), greengram (800 quintals) and jowar (700 quintals). Requirement of fertilisers for rabi: Urea (59,500 quintals), DAP (15,593 quintals), Complex (34,243 quintals), MOP (38,978 quintals), SSP (4,964 quintals).

Meanwhile, barring five mandals of Janagaon division and three mandals of Station Ghanpur division in a total of 50 mandals in the district, the kharif yields were said to be average.

While paddy is yet to be harvested, farmers got a yield of 3 to 6 quintals of cotton per acre; greengram 3 to 5 quintals per acre; maize 20 to 25 quintals per acre; groundnut 5 quintals per acre in the district, according to official sources.

By:ADEPU MAHENDER

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