Anantapur ryots prefer to delay sowing
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Once bitten twice shy, a majority of farmers who follow monocropping of groundnut in Anantapur district haven’t begun sowing operations this season regardless of good rains up to now two months and considerable availability of subsidised seeds. On the opposite hand, a number of folks in rural areas are eagerly ready for the sowing operations to start in order that some employment will get generated at a time when the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in livelihood loss.
Early rains in 2020 (137% extra in April and 67% in June) had prompted them to sow groundnut from the top of May and early June, main to extreme loss in crop yield due to 147% extra rainfall throughout July final yr. Farmers don’t want to get caught within the heavy rains by August when groundnut comes to flowering and pod formation stage within the 95 to 120-day crop interval of the favored K 6 selection.
This yr there have been good rains since April with 33.4 mm recorded in opposition to a traditional of 12.8mm and through May in opposition to a traditional of 39.6 mm the district recorded 79.5 mm with pre-monsoon showers. With southwest monsoon hitting the State on June 3, a median of 89.7 mm rain was recorded in 10 days in opposition to a traditional of 31.7 mm, a deviation of 183.0% (extra) thus far.
Rising groundnut space
For the previous 4 many years, the groundnut sown space has been growing, and for the present yr, the Agriculture Department expects 6,70,000 hectares to be sown throughout kharif and has saved 2,97,000 quintals of seed prepared. “The offtake of seed has been very slow and no sowing operations have begun so far in the district,” says Joint Director of Agriculture Y. Ramakrishna.
As of June 10 (Thursday), the Agriculture Department had distributed 1.81 lakh quintals of groundnut seeds in contrast to 1.78 lakh quintals to 2.07 lakh farmers by May 17 final yr due to extra demand. The State authorities is probably going to prolong the final date for distribution of seeds from June 17 to July 1 as Acharya N.G. Ranga Agricultural University scientists on the Rekulakunta Agriculture Research Station within the district have suggested groundnut sowing within the first week of July.
Crop diversification
Meanwhile, fertilizer shares are being positioned on the RBKs. Against an estimated 1.47 lakh tonnes for your entire yr, 60,000 tonnes had been accessible within the district. Another main marketing campaign being launched by the agriculture division is the diversification of crops by sowing purple gram, inexperienced gram, and millets. Ryots are additionally being discouraged from sowing paddy, and if their soils don’t help different crops, they’re being inspired to go for most popular varieties in order that the federal government can procure the produce in case they fail to promote within the open market.
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