Vijayawada: Agriculture Department Officials have drawn an Action Plan for the Kharif Season

Vijayawada: The agriculture department officials have drawn an action plan for the Kharif season in Krishna district with the estimated crop area of 3,16,668 hectares.

During the previous Kharif season in 2019, the normal crop area was 3,16,770 hectares and cultivated area was 3,26,443 hectares. The actual crop area was more due to the good rainfall and plenty of flood water available in Krishna river.

Farmers benefitted with good yield of paddy and other crops last Kharif season. This kharif season, the monsoon arrived in the second week of June but the district is yet to get one or two spells of heavy rain.

Paddy is undoubtedly the most important crop in Krishna district with the estimated crop area of 2,30,475 hectares this Kharif season.

Cotton is the second important crop with estimated crop area of 46,797 hectares, followed by chillies and sugarcane with the crop area of 11,735 hectares and 11,585 hectares.

Other crops in the kharif season are red gram, green gram, black gram, maize, ground nut, turmeric etc.

Agriculture department has set up 801 Rytu Bharosa Centres (RBCs) in the district and the district Collector Md Imtiaz has given administrative sanction for 789 RBCs. The agriculture department has made arrangements for the distribution of seeds and fertilizers through the RBCs.

The district administration is setting up YSR Agri Testing Labs in the district for the convenience of farmers. Farmers can test the soil at these centres before cultivation of crops. Besides, one district lab was proposed at Gannvaram constituency, said Joint Director of agriculture P Mohana Rao.

He said the agriculture department is ready for the Kharif season and will extend support and cooperation to the farmers. He said reforms like e-crop booking will be very useful to the farmers.

During the Rabi season also, the actual cultivation area was more than the normal crop area due to stored flood water available and availability of ground waters.

During the 2019-20 Kharif season, the normal crop was 2,00,572 hectares and the actual cultivated area was 2,29,392 hectares. The farmers cultivated paddy, black gram, maize, Bengal gram, green gram and other crops in Rabi season.

Now, with onset of monsoon and good rainfall is expected in monsoon season, the Krishna river and tributaries expected to get good inflows of flood water. Moreover, Pattiseema water will be an added advantage, if Godavari waters get plentiful of water this rainy season.