It's almost Crop Holiday in North Telangana

SANGAREDDY: Medak district, at one point of time, had the distinction of being called the 'rice bowl' of north Telangana but the present situation looks quite different. Peasants are unhappy with the scanty rainfall during this season.

Farmers are forced to sow seeds for three times which has multiplied their investments. Due to scanty rainfall, saplings have dried up in many areas which will affect yields adversely.

The district has a rainfall of 56.35 mm, which is less than normal, forcing 80 per cent of the farming community to give up cultivation. Last month the actual rainfall should have been 218.99 mm but only 96.6 percent was recorded. Comparatively for the same period, last year, the rainfall was 347.4 mm. The rainfall in Siddipet, Gajwel and Dubbaka is very poor.

Due to the poor rainfall, a majority of farmers are now resorting to crop holiday. Farmers, under Ghanpur anicut, are cultivating in 11,000 acres with the release of 0.25 tmcft water from the Singur project. Besides this, in other parts of the district very few are cultivating under borewells. Erratic power has become another hurdle to cultivation. Officials have failed to supply power for seven hours without interruption.

Most of the commercial crops like ginger, garlic, turmeric and banana need more water but power cuts are giving creeps to farmers. Farmer Akhtar Hussain urges the government to supply interrupted power for seven hours so that crops can survive under bore wells.

The power is being supplied just for three to four hours a day, that too with much voltage fluctuations. Due to the delayed rains, 80 per cent farmers are moving away from paddy and other regular crops like maize, cotton,green gram.

According to joint director of agriculture Hukya Nayak, the extent of area brought under cultivation of different crops in kharif should have been 4,41,140 hectares but, at present, only 2,51,480 hectares is under cultivation.

Paddy cultivation should be in 81,383 hectares but only 30,634 hectares is under cultivation now. Of that, 1,250 hectares is in nursery stage. In the case of corn, the actual cultivation should be in 1,10,662 hectares but the present cultivation is in 71,677 hectares. Similarly, cultivation of pulses should have been taken up in 28,415 hectares but is being taken up only in 16,943 hectares.

Alerted by the situation, agricultural officials are preparing contingency plans to promote alternative crops. For this officials are designing a programme to create awareness among the farmers. They are making every effort to ensure that farmers do no suffer on account of deficit rainfall.

As of today, only Ghanpur anicut farmers are better off from the rest in regard to irrigated water. Project tail end constituency farmer N. Laxminarayana says he is thoroughly demoralised over the prevailing situation.

Jamil Ahmed of Yellareddy said corn and cotton are the major crops in his area. Variation in climatic conditions and uneven rains made farmers of this region forced to sow seeds for three times increased financial burden to them. Sons of the soil are not getting crop loans from banks due to government's delay in deciding on loan waiver.