Red gram farmer hit hard by dry conditions

Mahbubnagar: The red gram farmers in Mahbubnagar district are forced to sell their produce in Tandur market in Ranga Reddy district because of non-availability of facility in their This year the area under red gram cultivation has increased many folds. More than 1, 04,850 hectares have been covered under red gram crop in Mahbubnagar.

Though the extent of coverage is lower by 11,000 than that of the last two years, this is significantly high. The farmers were encouraged by good rainfall initially in taking up red gram cultivation. But the dry condition during the pre-harvest stage affected the output. “We had expected bumper crop this year. But, to our shock the yield came down by 50 per cent due to dry condition,” according Ramchander Naik of Shankarayapally village under Jadcherla mandal.

Red gram cultivation is general taken up in a mixed cropping pattern with maize and jowar. But this year the famers switched to red gram cultivation from cotton. The major red gram cultivation regions in the distinct include Hanwada Makthal, Kosgi, Kodangla, Doulathabad, and Bomraspet mandals. The farmers in Doulatabad mandal had sown red gram in over 10,535 hectares and but the output fell by 90 per cent, while farmers in Bomraspet and Kosgi mandals, who had cultivated red gram in 7,890 and 6,580 hectares respectively could get only about 40 per cent yield.