Dry spell has farmers worried

The initial excitement among the farming community of Telangana about witnessing a promising kharif season this year is being replaced by disappointment as monsoon has turned inactive over many parts of the State for over a fortnight now. The germinated seed is facing severe moisture stress in nearly 30 per cent of mandals.

Crops cultivated in a majority of mandals in Medak, Nizamabad, Ranga Reddy and Mahabubnagar and some in Karimnagar and Nalgonda districts are facing severe moisture stress as the seedlings as winds are evaporating even the little moisture available in the soil. “Though the situation is not alarming this week, it is likely to be a cause of serious concern if rains evade the areas for another 10 days,” say senior Agriculture Department officials.

The Met Department officials have put the rainfall deficit till July 6 at 39 per cent in Mahabubnagar and Medak, 25 per cent in Nizamabad, and 21 per cent in Ranga Reddy districts.

Information reaching the Agriculture Directorate here indicate that farmers in several mandals of these districts are fearing loss of investment on preparing the land for cultivation, sowing of seed and fertilizer sprayed if the dry-spell continues for another two weeks.

The cultivation of rain-fed crops in those districts along with parts of Nalgonda and Karimngar is high in Telangana.

Adilabad district has the highest rain-fed cultivation area but it has experienced good rains this season so far with an average 25 per cent excess rain. The condition of crops cultivated in Khammam and Warangal districts, which recorded 110 per cent and 105 per cent excess rain so far, along with Adilabad, is promising.

For record, crops have already been cultivated in over 21.46 lakh acres against 18.5 lakh hectares normal extent till date. An area of 41.43 lakh hectares is normally cultivated in entire kharif season.

Official sources told The Hindu that rainfall in 124 out of 443 mandals in the State has been either deficit or scanty so far. It has been normal in 102 mandals and excess in 217 mandals, though farmers in several pockets in these mandals are also understood to be facing adverse seasonal conditions.

As if the nature’s vagaries are not enough, several fertilizer companies have increased the prices of complex varieties last week.