Cropped kharif areas. Telangana kharif acreage rises to record 54.40 lakh hectares

Farmers in Telangana have brought a record 54.40 lakh hectares (lh) of land under cultivation during the current kharif season, up 36 per cent over the total cropped kharif area of 40 lh in 2014. Paddy takes the lion share of 25.82 lh against last year’s 24.8 lh, which is the highest for the crop in the State.

With the area going up significantly, the State expects a pro rata growth in the production of paddy and cotton.

But what is surprising is the area under cotton, which stopped short at 20 lh. Though it reached the last year’s level and the normal acreage, the area was way below than the Government’s expectations.

As farmers received the highest prices last year, the State Government was looking at an area of 28 lh for the fibre crop.

“But consistent rains in the last three months inundated the fields, damaging the early crop. Farmers couldn’t recoup the last area because of the submergence of the crop,” S Malla Reddy, a senior leader of Telangana Rythu Sangham, has said.

Copious rains

Traditionally a rainfed State, Telangana received 1,076 mm of rainfall during the monsoon, which is 51 per cent more than the average rainfall of 720 mm.

Water from new irrigation projects too has contributed to the increase in the area under cultivation.

However, the area under maize and redgram has come down.

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