Kharif sees increase in crop area in Guntur

The farmers in Guntur distinct have undertaken cultivation of various crops in a record 5,60,139 hectare, surpassing the normal crop area of 5,56,116 hectare last year's 5,25,089 hectare despite lack of adequate rainfall.

It appears that farmers have decided to bet big on paddy, chillies and cotton crops in kharif (first crop). According to official calculations, the crop area of the three major crops is 4,76,654 hectare.

P Ajit Kumar, agriculture joint director, told Business Standard that transplantation of paddy was completed in 2,52,542 hectare and still in progress in over 40,000 hectare more, taking the total paddy cultivation area to a record 2,92,542 hectare (2,38,468 hectare last year) as against the normal crop area of 2,35,038 hectare.

However, cotton crop area has come down from 1,39,308 hectare last year to 1,31,079 hectare (normal kharif crop area 1,38,810 hectare). Compared with last year's 28,523 hectare, farmers, lured by the unprecedented prices earned by mirchi this year, have more than doubled chilly crop area to 63,033 hectare.

He said the crop area of total food grain crops had been recorded at 3,17,949 hectare (2,87,036 hectare last year), which included pulses and coarse grain crops.

Cultivation of red gram has been taken up in 22,379 hectare (37,171 hectare last year). Green gram, raised in 1,528 hectare (5,264 hectare last year), already gave an average yield of 375-500 kg per hectare.

Farmers also reaped harvest of black gram grown in 660 hectare (1,738 hectare last year). Apart from paddy, coarse grains such as jowar and maize are being grown in 91 hectare (381 hectare last year) and 749 hectare (2,080 hectare last year) respectively.

Ajit Kumar said farmers were raising oil seeds in 5,597 hectare as against last year's 14,551 hectare. The crops included groundnut (210 hectare), soyabean (342 hectare) and castor (1,272 hectare). Sesamum, raised in 3,773 hectare, yielded a harvest of 4-5 quintal per hectare.

He said coconut gardens were being reared in 341 hectare, onion in 44 hectare, vegetables in 3,435 hectare, fruits in 11,727 hectare, and orchards in 15,547 hectare.

Farmers were growing turmeric in 4,663 hectare (last year 6,365 hectare) and sugarcane in 1,986 hectare (1,933 hectare last year). Jute has been taken up in 4,933 hectare, subabul in 5,722 hectare, eucalyptus in 102 hectare and fodder and green manure crops in 9,282 hectare.