The Andhra Pradesh government is planning to tie up with non-governmental organisations (NGOs) like the Deccan Development Society and scientific organisations like the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (Icrisat) to encourage farmers to take up dryland farming and increase the production of pulses.
“We are targeting to increase the pulses production in at least 1 million hectare (ha) this year,” state agriculture commissioner D Srinivasulu said.
Due to delay in rain, the cultivation of pulses including redgram, greengram, blackgram, horsegram, bengalgram and cowgram has come down to 610,170 ha this year as compared with 819,249 ha in the corresponding period last year. The season normal for the pulses is 890,176 ha. Anantapur, considered to be a drought-hit district, is a major centre for groundnut cultivation. It accounts for 800,000 ha of the total 1 million ha in the state.
The government is also looking to popularise intercrops. For instance, it is encouraging farmers to go for redgram in groundnut fields and greengram in the rice fallows. Though the change in the cropping will have a marginal impact on the food basket of the state, it will bring better margins as most of the pulses and oilseeds are rainfed, he said.
In some cases, farmers are shifting to commercial crops like turmeric, chilli and paddy. An estimated 13,35,655 hectare (ha) is under paddy cultivation this year, up from 12,98,224 ha last year.
In the case of other crops, according to officials, the season normal for minor millets (crops like samai, korra and varugu, which are like corn and grow faster and need less water) is 41,425 ha. It is being cultivated in 28,703 ha this year, compared with 29,973 ha last year. For coarsegrain, which includes jowar, bajra, maize and ragi, the season normal is 911,323 ha and is being cultivated in 695,892 ha as compared with 840,509 ha last year. Castor bean (avadam in Telugu) too has shrunk in area to 130,689 ha in August this year from 210,921 ha during the corresponding period last year, particularly in drought-prone areas like Mahabubnagar, Nalgonda and Medak districts.