The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Hyderabad News : Deficit rainfall dents agriculture

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Wednesday, Jul 02, 2008
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

Deficit rainfall dents agriculture

N. Rahul

Negligible inflows into major reservoirs deter farmers

HYDERABAD: The prolonged dry spell since the onset of monsoon has cast a big shadow on the agricultural operations in the State this year.

With the average rainfall deficit being 22 per cent of the normal up to Monday, the sowing under different crops was just 9 per cent of the normal cropped area in the season.

Only 7 lakh hectares out of the normal kharif area of 79 lakh hectares has been cropped so far. The cropping was up to 16 lakh hectares during this time last year.

Qamar Iqbal, Additional Director of Agriculture (Planning), expected the coverage to go up in the coming days with rain picking up gradually. The deficit rainfall was as usual the highest in Rayalaseema where sowing was the poorest. Only four per cent of the area was cropped in the area.

A bulletin issued by the Revenue Department on Monday stated that there were only 13 rainfall days on an average across the State since the south-west monsoon set in over Rayalaseema and coastal districts on June 2.

The farmers both in rainfed areas and the ayacut region are keeping their fingers crossed in the backdrop of the dry spell.

Those hoping to get water through irrigation network were discouraged by negligible inflows to major reservoirs.

Officials said inflows into reservoirs, including Srisailam, Singur, Nizamsagar, Velugodu, Somasila and Kandaleru, were almost nil. Nagarjunasagar, however, received about 6,000 cusecs.

Notwithstanding scanty rainfall, paddy farmers who constituted the bulk of agriculturists have gone ahead with transplantation in a big way wherever there was assured irrigation facilities.

The transplantation was already taken up over 0.81 lakh hectares against a normal of 0.42 lakh hectares. Paddy nurseries continued to be raised in a brisk manner under the canal and well irrigation.

Normal acreage was maintained in the case of cotton and groundnut which are the other major crops but the sowing in respect of them was much less than last year.

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Andhra Pradesh