Prospects of kharif cultivation turns bleak in Telangana with monsoon failure

HYDERABAD

Despite the area under kharif crops sown or transplanted by the end of the first week of July this year being higher than during the corresponding period last year, the outlook for the current season appears bleak. This is because over 63% of the mandals (382 out of 605) across the 32 rural districts are experiencing the impact of monsoon failure, raising concerns about crop performance and agricultural productivity.

With the weathermen forecasting poor rainfall for the remainder of July, the prospects of a good crop appear to be in jeopardy, with all major, medium, and minor irrigation reservoirs remaining empty due to lack of rains in their catchment areas. According to the Agriculture Department authorities, cultivation of kharif crops has reached about 55.32 lakh acres against 52.04 lakh acres covered during the same period last year.

As a regular practice, farmers across the State have sown cotton in over 39.44 lakh acres, followed by paddy transplantation in about 4.22 lakh acres, soybean in nearly 3.35 lakh acres, redgram in 3.19 lakh acres, maize in 2.84 lakh acres and greengram and blackgram together in another 46,000 acres.

According to the rainfall statistics of the Telangana Development Planning Society, 68 mandals have recorded ‘large deficient rainfall’, receiving 60% to 99% less rainfall than normal. Another 327 mandals fall under the ‘deficient’ category, with rainfall 20% to 59% below normal. In addition, rainfall has been classified as ‘normal’ in 181 mandals. However, most of these 181 mandals have still received up to 19% less rainfall than the normal levels as of July 12.

In contrast, the mandals with excess to large excess rainfall so far this season are only 45 and the 11 mandals with large excess rainfall are scattered in Rangareddy, Nalgonda, Nagarkurnool, Vikarabad, Sangareddy, Suryapet and Bhadradri-Kothagudem districts. Overall, the average actual rainfall is 25% less (deficient) than normal. Hanumakonda is the most deficient district and 24 other districts have recorded deficient rainfall in addition to Hyderabad.

Good rains last year and availability of water for the second (Rabi) crop in most of the reservoirs had kept the stress on the groundwater table lower, as the average level of the resource availability in this June was 9.46 meters below ground level (mbgl) against the average level of 9.47 mbgl in June last year.

As part of its contingency plans, the Agriculture Department is making efforts to make available seed of alternative crops in the event of monsoon playing truant till the end of July second week.