The Hindu Business Line : Bumper kharif production in AP

DESPITE losses due to the unprecedented rains and cyclones, the kharif season saw record foodgrains production of 109.67 lakh tonnes as against 83.97 lakh tonnes (lt) in the 2004 kharif season, showing a growth of 31 per cent.

Rice production during the current season stood at 77.31 lt this kharif as against 63.93 lt, according to Ms Poonam Malakondaiah, Commissioner for Agriculture.

The productivity of rice, however, was pegged lower at 2,809 kg/hectare as against 2,886 kg/ha in 2004, a decline of three per cent. "This is due to severe floods and cyclonic rains in East Godavari, West Godavari, Krishna, Guntur and Prakasam districts," she said.

But the State could achieve higher production in rice because of the increased extent of area under cultivation. There was an overall increase of seven per cent in area under cultivation in the season. The total area had gone up to 84 lakh hectares as against the normal 78 lakh hectares. Of this, rice constituted 27.5 lakh hectares (23.7 lakh hectares), while dry crops comprised 54 lakh hectares.

Despite setbacks in Warangal district, cotton too showed good results in the season with an anticipated production of 22.24 lakh bales over 21.90 lakh bales in the previous kharif. This was an increase of 28 per cent over the normal production (17.41 lakh bales).

The production of soyabeans, mainly cultivated under rain-fed conditions, was expected to go up by 125 per cent at 2.66 lt over the previous kharif figure of 1.18 lt.

The production of maize had gone up by 85 per cent from 12.39 lt in 2004 kharif to 22.95 lt. This was up by 90 per cent over normal production of 11.83 lt.

Production of red gram went up to 3.61 lt from 2.15 lt. It was up by 56 per cent over normal production of 1.96 lt.

But for groundnut and rice, productivity of all other crops had gone up during the season. Productivity of maize had gone up from 2,451 kg/ha to 3,441 kg/ha; red gram from 456 kg/ha to 639 kg/ha; and castor from 388 kg/ha to 694 kg/ha. Productivity of cotton was estimated to be at 389 kg/ha from 316 kg/ha.