Vijayawada: Despite adversity, sowing completed in 43 lakh acres
A farmer in Undavalli removing the weeds in the onion crop using oxen Photo: Ch V Mastan
Vijayawada: Despite facing adverse circumstances due to natural calamities in cultivating crops in the current Kharif season, the farmers could complete about 51 per cent sowing so far across the state. The targeted area of all the crops including oilseeds and other commercial crops in kharif season is 84.94 lakh acres. However, so far the cultivation has been completed to the extent of 43.24 lakh acres.
Mainly, the paddy, the staple food grain cultivation completed in 20.47 lakh acres up to now in the state. Apart from paddy, bajra, maize, finger millets, jowar, minor millets, red gram, green gram, black gram, horse gram and other pulses cultivation has been completed in 5.77 lakh acres. Besides, groundnut has been sown in 6.69 lakh acres and sesame, sunflower, soybean and other oil seeds cultivated in another 60,000 acres. Similarly, the cotton cultivation was finished in 8.6 lakh acres.
Sugarcane cultivation was also over in the extent of 60,000 acres.
In fact, ryots have been confronting many troubles to harvest the crops in kharif season. Due to the delay in the arrival of monsoon, the crops were cultivated late which caused great damage to the crops.
Later, the crops were damaged by floods and incessant rains. Owing to these reasons, the cultivated area of the crops decreased drastically.
Actually, the cultivated area of all the crops should have been 60.46 lakh acres till date against the expected target of 84.94 lakh acres. But it was confined to just 43.24 acres so far. The crop cultivation declined by over 17 lakh acres when compared to last year.
At this time last year, the cultivated crop area was 24.48 lakh hectares (60.46 lakh acres). However, the farmers are striving for cultivating crops even though they are facing adverse conditions. One of the farmers Rajulapati Redenkayya of Nadupuru in Pedana mandal said that he had sown paddy in two acres, but it was totally damaged in the floodwater.
He said that he doesn’t want to sow again as he already lost over Rs 25,000 and added that the land will be vacant till next kharif. Likewise, so many farmers express their dissatisfaction over cultivating the crops.