The Hindu Business Line : Kharif schedule under threat as rains play truant

The sprouted cotton saplings and lack of rains have made farmers at Chevella in Ranga Reddy District a worried lot. The overcast skies, however, keep hopes alive as the truant monsoon enters the third week of July on Monday, with no sign of rains in South India.

Our Bureau

Hyderabad, July 21 Despite sporadic rains in some parts of the State in the last 2-3 days, Andhra Pradesh is still short of the average rainfall needed for normal kharif sowings.

While the situation in districts like Khammam, Guntur, Anantapur, Chittoor and Srikakulam is better off, Kurnool, Ranga Reddy, Kadapa, Medak, Nalgonda and Mahboobnagar districts recorded scanty rains, threatening the kharif schedule.

The Agriculture Ministry, however, is still hopeful of getting enough rainfall in the next 2-3 weeks. “We have reviewed the situation on Monday and asked the officials to get ready with contingency plans by stocking seeds for alternative crops,” Mr N. Raghuveera Reddy, Minister for Agriculture, said.

Addressing a news conference here on Monday, he said kharif sowings were completed in 23.43 lakh hectares up to July 16 as against 36.55 lakh hectares covered on the same day last year. He, however, cited a similar situation in 2006 when sowings were completed in 66 per cent area. “Yet, we ended up receiving good rainfall that year,” he said.

With rain-fed areas in Telangana and Rayalaseema districts registering scanty rainfall so far, the Government had decided to continue the cloud-seeding activity from Hyderabad and Anantapur from Tuesday. The Government would spend Rs 23 crore on this.

Insurance

Meanwhile, the Government has asked all the district collectors to recruit enumerators for the agricultural insurance scheme and work on the modalities. “Beginning this kharif season, farmers would get crop insurance taking the village as unit. This will be computed based on the main crops in each of the districts,” he said.

More Stories on : Cultivation | Natural Calamities | Andhra Pradesh

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